1.    Strengthening prevention of avian influenza

　　The COA continued to take the initiative to test poultry farms, slaughterhouses, pet birds, and migratory (wild) birds for avian flu, conducting a total of 58,123 tests in 2017. In 182 cases, where there were confirmed diagnoses, we culled 1,712,530 birds. In February, in response to the outbreak of the H5N6 subtype of highly pathogenic avian influenza, we established a cross-ministerial “Central Emergency Response Center for Avian Influenza,” and through measures such as raising the culling subsidy for self-reporting to 80%, implementing a seven-day ban on transport and slaughtering of poultry, and requiring that ducks that go to market must have a test report attached, by March 12 the COA had limited the number of farms affected by H5N6 to 12. On July 24, we officially reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) that the outbreak had ended. 

　　In addition, starting in 2017 the COA, in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, established the “Research Center for Avian Influenza Control and Prevention,” and through monitoring and control of wetlands air and the infection situation for personnel associated with the poultry industry, achieved an early warning effect. In addition, the COA continued to strengthen biosecurity disease prevention measures, making structural adjustments and guiding the industry to shift over to new production systems that have a high level of biosecurity. As of the end of 2017, we had subsidized a cumulative total of 152 poultry farms to construct (or refit) “demonstration non-open poultry houses,” with on-site guidance provided a total of 265 times.

2.     Strengthening prevention of rabies

　　In 2017 the COA conducted 891 tests on dogs, cats, and wild animals, with 70 cases of ferret-badgers being confirmed as being infected with rabies. The cumulative total of locations where there were confirmed cases included 79 townships in nine cities and counties. In 2017 we continued to promote rabies vaccinations for dogs and cats to establish an immune barrier. To reach our goal of a 70% vaccination rate, in 2017 the COA subsidized 704,677 doses. People who failed to get their pets vaccinated were fined between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000, with fines levied in 46 cases. In order to reduce the risk that rabies could spread to dogs and cats, the COA conducted evaluations of the results of rabies prevention work in cities and counties, strengthened management of dogs and cats at the source, strengthened health education and guidance, stored up vaccines, did personnel training, and did R&D work on an oral rabies vaccine for ferret-badgers, in order to reach our goal of controlling rabies.

3.     Strengthening prevention of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)

　　On May 25, 2017, at the 85th meeting of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the OIE formally recognized Taiwan proper, the Penghu area, and the Matsu area as being a zone that is “FMD disease-free where vaccination is practised.” However, FMD prevention work continued in cooperation with local governments and industry groups, building a consensus and pro-actively promoting the work of FMD vaccination, thereby bringing the vaccination rate for FMD in cloven-hoofed animals to over 90%, with the immune coverage rate being above 80%. At the same time the COA strengthened other FMD-prevention work including disinfection of transport vehicles, serology testing, and strengthening biosecurity at livestock farms. In addition, in preparation for the halting of the practice of FMD vaccinations on July 1, 2018, on July 1, 2017 we began to implement controls on the sale of FMD vaccines.

4.    Prevention of hog cholera (classical swine fever)

　　In order to take into account both prevention of hog cholera and animal welfare, the COA pro-actively adjusted the production and method of use of hog cholera vaccine, and planned to guide all factories producing lapinized
hog cholera vaccine to shift over to producing lapinized hog cholera tissue culture vaccine over a five-year period. We also amended relevant regulations, and it is estimated that in 2021 the COA will be able to announce that as of January 1, 2022, there will be a halt to the use of lapinized hog cholera vaccine.

5.    Implementing testing, early warning, and prevention for harmful organisms

　　The COA undertook 5,732 investigations for 13 major organisms harmful to plants, including rice blast, and issued warnings and alerts 66 times. As for the two types of Lepidoptera harmful insects (codling moths and peach fruit moths) and the 18 types of fruit flies (including the Mediterranean fruit fly), we adopted fixed point investigations, whereas for the six major types of nematodes and western flower thrips, the COA adopted non-fixed point investigations. As of the end of 2017 the COA had not discovered any of the previously mentioned high-risk harmful organisms. We also established monitoring points for commonly seen fruit and vegetable pests including two types of fruit flies and three types of Noctuidae in core areas for agricultural cultivation, and issued 36 regular ten-day reports on the infestation situation. In addition, the COA set up 700 Spodoptera litura sex pheromone traps in growing areas for export orchids and promptly gained control of the infestation situation, to serve as corroborating data for the absence of infestation of export orchids by harmful insects.

6.    Preventing invasion of major diseases and insect pests from abroad

　　In response to the international epidemic situation, the COA amended the regulations governing inspection and quarantine for the importation of animals, animal products, plants, and plant products. We conducted inspection and quarantine work on 170,182 batches of animals and animal products, and on 213,962 batches of plants and plant products. Our 47 quarantine detector-dog teams assisted in the detection of agriproducts
and intercepted illegal agriproducts in over 56,800 cases, totaling 68 metric tons. Also, the COA destroyed 371 smuggled live poultry birds, 474 smuggled fertilized eggs, and 1.8 metric tons of smuggled livestock and poultry products.

　　The COA dispatched staff to Korea (for kiwifruits), Thailand (for mangosteens), and Italy and Poland (for apples) to conduct on-site verification and verify the effectiveness of the proposed quarantine treatment. We also conducted our annual quarantine audit in production areas in the US, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and South Africa (for apples), Japan (for fresh fruits that can play host to the peach fruit moth), Thailand (for betelnuts), Vietnam (for dragon fruits), Honduras (for melons), mainland China and Japan (for pear scions), the Netherlands and Chile (for lily bulbs), the Netherlands (for anthurium nursery stock), and Australia (for carrots). In addition the COA dispatched staff to France, the US, Italy, the UK, Japan, Denmark, and Honduras to conduct on-site audits for establishments producing meat and meat products