Pig farmers sentenced for causing African swine fever outbreak, costing Taiwan $68 million

A father and son operating the Chia Hsing pig farm in Wugu, Taichung, have been sentenced for their roles in an African swine fever outbreak that devastated Taiwan's pork industry. The incident, which began in October last year, led to a nationwide ban on pig transport and slaughter, causing industry losses and subsidies totaling NT$2.1 billion (approximately $68 million USD).

The son, 58, received a combined sentence of three years. He was found guilty of falsifying business records by uploading outdated photos of swill cooking, violating waste disposal laws by inaccurately reporting the amount of swill reused, and defrauding the public by concealing infected pigs sent to auction. The father, 86, was sentenced to one year and six months for jointly concealing the infected pigs and sending them to auction, but received a sentence reduction due to his age and for admitting guilt, also forfeiting over NT$320,000 in illicit gains.

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The supervisory agencies are the most important. The reason pig farmers overlooked and relaxed epidemic prevention conditions is mainly because the Taichung City Government was not guiding pig farmers, which led to this result. The government must do a good job of guidance, instruction, and inspection.

Prosecutors had also charged them with underreporting pig deaths and using illegal operators for waste disposal, but the court acquitted them on these charges due to insufficient evidence. The court denied a sentence reduction for the son, citing his two-year scheme of using old photos to evade inspections, which directly contributed to the disease's spread.

The case had significant repercussions, leading to the dismissal of three Taichung city officials: the director of the Agriculture Bureau, the director of the Environmental Protection Bureau, and the director of the Animal Disease Control Center. The Agriculture Bureau has stated that its work has been further refined since the incident. A veterinarian associated with the farm, Ji You-ming, suggested that a lack of guidance from supervisory agencies contributed to the farmers' negligence in adhering to epidemic prevention standards.

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My son and I didn't kill anyone. The court has handed down such a heavy sentence. We are already bankrupt. I am over eighty years old, am I supposed to die in prison? Whether to appeal or not, it doesn't matter, let the court decide.