Malaysia to allow import of pigs and boar semen

• By Esme Yeh / Staff reporter

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Malaysia has agreed to allow the importation of Taiwanese breeding pigs and boar semen, marking a new export market for Taiwan, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA) said yesterday.

The agency said it on Thursday received an approval notice for the imports from the Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security’s Veterinary Services Department via the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia.

The notice states that imports can start once negotiations for quarantine certificate criteria are completed, the APHIA said.

Pigs at a farm are pictured in an undated photograph.

Photo: Taipei Times

Taiwan in 2020 applied to export breeding pigs and boar semen to Malaysia, providing Malaysian authorities documents on animal health, disease monitoring and breeding pig management, it said.

Malaysia postponed its review following an African swine fever (ASF) outbreak in Taiwan in October last year, the APHIA said.

After Taiwan regained its ASF-free status in April, the agency urged the Malaysian Veterinary Services Department to complete the review and continued to communicate with the authorities, eventually earning the approval, it added.

The approval marks the opening of another overseas market for Taiwanese breeding pigs and boar semen, it said.

From 2023 to last year, Taiwan exported 353, 297 and 445 high-quality breeding pigs annually, mainly to Hong Kong and Vietnam, the APHIA said.

Boar semen was primarily exported to Palau, the Marshall Islands, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines over the same period, it said.

Malaysia has listed its import quarantine criteria, including pre-export quarantine and health examinations for breeding pigs, as well as health management for semen-producing boars and related artificial insemination centers, the APHIA said.

The APHIA said it would review and confirm the criteria as soon as possible and create an export quarantine certificate sample to be reviewed by Malaysian authorities.

Once the two sides agree on quarantine certification, Taiwanese pig-farming industry operators can export breeding pigs and boar semen that meet the standards, the APHIA said.