Food things you should know

The time for New Zealand's zero-tariff import policy for liquid milk in 2025 is approaching. In June 2024, Food Power received a letter of complaint from Mr. A, a dairy farmer on a small farm in southern Taiwan, who mentioned that the bovine tuberculosis epidemic in Taiwan's farms may have been concealed and there were black numbers. In order to verify the authenticity of the source of the complaint data, Food Power compared the historical data released by the government, and interviewed many industry, government and academics to track this issue. For this purpose, a series of special reports were formulated to reveal the current situation and possible impact of bovine tuberculosis in Taiwan's dairy industry from five aspects: inspection methods, enforcement strength, policy strengthening, raw milk control and milk and meat safety.

Interview.Writing = Editorial Department

As the implementation time of New Zealand's zero-tariff import policy for liquid milk in 2025 is approaching, it will have a serious impact on Taiwan's entire dairy industry. The Ministry of Agriculture has allocated 1.86 billion yuan for the "Cattle Industry Comprehensive Upgrading and Transformation Plan (2024-2025)" to assist the industry in upgrading and responding. However, in June 2024, Food Power received a letter of complaint from Mr. A (referred to as Mr. A), a dairy farmer on a small farm in southern Taiwan, saying that the bovine tuberculosis epidemic in Taiwan's farms may have been concealed, and the true situation of the epidemic is far more serious than the central statistics, at least more than 1 times.

The central government announced that the average number of confirmed cases of bovine tuberculosis in 2024 has reached 36.2 per month

In order to verify the authenticity of the source of the complaint data and to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of bovine tuberculosis on Taiwan's dairy industry, Food Power compared the bovine tuberculosis statistics of animal epidemics published by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA) of the Ministry of Agriculture from January 2017 to May 2024. It was found that only 30 cows were infected in 2017, but by 2023, the number had reached 342, a total of 11.4 times the number of positive cows infected in 2017, with a growth rate of 1040%. And if the monthly average number of positive test results in 2023 is 28.5 heads, the cumulative number of positive test results from 2024 to May has reached 181 heads, with an average monthly number of 36.2 heads, which is higher than that in 2023.

The area with the most severe bovine tuberculosis epidemic is also a major dairy farming area.

According to the latest dairy cow breeding data for the first quarter of 2024 released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Taiwan's major dairy farming counties and cities are Changhua County (30,982 heads), Tainan City (21,039 heads), Pingtung County (20,535 heads), and Yunlin County (15,284 heads). Comparing this with the data from the Agency for Disease Control and Prevention and Inspection on the number of bovine tuberculosis-infected cows in each county and city in the first quarter of 2024, it was found that The four major counties and cities are also the centers of infection. By comparing the number of infected heads with the number of raised heads in the counties and cities, it can be found that the infection ratios are Yunlin County (33 confirmed heads, a confirmation rate of 0.22%), Tainan City (27 confirmed heads, a confirmation rate of 0.13%), Pingtung County (7 confirmed heads, a confirmation rate of 0.03%) and Changhua County (5 confirmed heads, a confirmation rate of 0.02%).

Looking at the infection data for the whole of Taiwan up to May 2024, dividing the number of infected heads in the above four counties and cities during the same period by the total number of infected heads in Taiwan, it can be found that the areas with the most serious bovine tuberculosis epidemics are Tainan City (67 heads, 37%), Yunlin County (65 heads, 35.9%), Pingtung County (15 heads, 8.3%), and Changhua (14 heads, 7.7%). The other counties and cities together account for 11.1%, which once again shows that Tainan City and Yunlin County are areas with more serious bovine tuberculosis epidemics.

The central government announced that the growth rate is alarming, but the actual situation may be more serious?

Regarding the above data released by the government, we actually interviewed small dairy farmers in the south, dairy farmers who supply raw milk to large brands, and an anonymous veterinarian with more than 10 years of practice, asking about the authenticity of the data. They all said that the number of infections on both the dairy farmers’ own farms and the farms that the veterinarians actually came into contact with was far greater than the one-year data released by the central government.

How did these "black numbers" come about? Will cows infected with bovine tuberculosis cause human and animal transmission? Will their raw milk and beef flow into the market and cause food safety problems? What are the gray areas in the implementation of the government's epidemic prevention regulations? What role should fresh milk brands and dairy farmers play in terms of supervision?

"Food Power" actually interviewed many professionals from industry, government and academia, including government representatives in charge of epidemic prevention: the Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Administration of the Ministry of Agriculture, and the local unit Tainan City Animal Epidemic Prevention and Protection Department; industry representatives: the Dairy Industry Association of the Republic of China, the Dairy Farmers Association of the Republic of China; academic representatives: the Department of Animal Science and Technology of National Taiwan University, the Department of Veterinary Medicine of National Chung Hsing University; three dairy farmer representatives: a single small farm in southern Taiwan, a dairy farmer in southern Taiwan that supplies milk to large brands, and Meigui Ranch that raises cattle with technology; and two local contracted veterinarians who have been in practice for more than 10 years. Each interviewee shared their professional knowledge in their respective fields and their personal views on the impact of bovine tuberculosis on Taiwan's dairy industry.

What are the dangers of bovine tuberculosis, a zoonotic disease?

Bovine tuberculosis is a zoonotic disease. The pathogens can be divided into Mycobacterium bovis, Mycobacterium hominis, Mycobacterium avium and other types of Mycobacterium. The pathogen is mainly transmitted through contact with the body fluids and droplets of sick cattle.

Professor Zhuang Shide of the Department of Veterinary Medicine at National Chung Hsing University shared that the main way bovine tuberculosis spreads in ranches is through inhalation. After autopsy, it was found that about 60% to 70% of the nodules of infected cattle fell into the respiratory tract, and 20% to 40% fell into the digestive tract. Once cattle are infected with bovine tuberculosis virus, the virus will dormant in the host for a period of time. When the host's immunity decreases or it grows older, the virus will reactivate and increase in value, causing the host to show clinical symptoms such as weakness, loss of appetite, and mental fatigue. As for humans, if they are infected with bovine tuberculosis, most of them will occur in people with low immune systems, and it will not be fatal. With the current perfect medical equipment in Taiwan, they can also receive proper care.

Because bovine tuberculosis can be transmitted from cows to cows, from birds to cows, and from cows to humans, this time we will focus on the two aspects of transmission that have a more direct impact: cow-to-cow and cow-to-human transmission.

What are the transmission routes from cow to cow? In addition to the contact between bodily fluids between cows, Mr. D, a contracted veterinarian with more than 10 years of experience, mentioned that bovine tuberculosis bacteria are very afraid of heat and often appear in cool and humid places. Therefore, if the cowshed environment is not thoroughly disinfected, it is easy to spread. In order to avoid contact with the high temperature and drought exposure environment, bovine tuberculosis bacteria will even exist 40 to 50 cm deep in the soil to protect themselves in a dormant way, "sporeization". After a heavy rain, bovine tuberculosis bacteria will float to the surface, and if cows accidentally come into contact with them, they will be infected.

Most cases of transmission from cattle to humans occur among breeders and quarantine veterinarians who have frequent contact with cattle. How can we reduce the chance of transmission from cattle to humans? Mr. B, a dairy farmer in the southern part of the country who works for a large dairy brand, shared that in addition to isolating and culling positive cattle, environmental disinfection is also the key to reducing the chance of infection, such as controlling feed trucks and cattle carts entering and leaving the factory area, external quarantine personnel or other contacts (such as hoof trimmers), and hardware equipment also needs to be disinfected and cleaned. People entering and leaving the factory should have the correct concept of epidemic prevention and implement it at all times.

Where do the “black numbers” come from? Why might the bovine tuberculosis outbreak be hidden?

If the epidemic figures released by the Agency for Disease Control and Prevention are inaccurate, how did the hidden "black figures" come about? In a series of special reports, Food Power explores the possible impact of bovine tuberculosis on Taiwan's dairy industry from five aspects: "testing methods, enforcement, policy strengthening, raw milk control, and milk and meat safety."

【Testing Method】Internationally accepted testing methods may not necessarily detect bovine tuberculosis?

Mr. C, a veterinarian with more than 10 years of experience, mentioned that the current domestic government uses the tail root test (Intradermal tuberculin test, ITT) as a test method for annual farm inspections. Its accuracy rate is about 60% to 70%, and it is an internationally accepted test method. The test process is to inject tuberculin into the dermis of the tail root fold or neck of the cow, and then wait for 72±4 hours to determine whether it is a positive reaction (disease). Otherwise, it is negative (healthy). Special veterinarian Mr. D further explained that bovine tuberculosis has a long incubation period, and the tail root test can only test positive for cattle 3 weeks to 1 year after infection. If the cattle are infected for less than 3 weeks and more than 1 year, they will not be positive and will become so-called "false negative". According to the government's annual inspection frequency, it may not be possible to accurately identify positive cattle.

Are there no other more effective methods? Special veterinarian Mr. D mentioned that in addition to the tail root test, ELISA is also a common testing method, but the cost of a single test is NT$500, and there is no laboratory capacity in Taiwan to test all the ranches.

[Enforcement Strength] Why do some cows slip through the bovine tuberculosis prevention net?

Bovine tuberculosis is classified as a major zoonotic Class B animal infectious disease in Taiwan. If the inspector finds that the cattle on the farm are positive, the veterinarian should report to the local animal quarantine agency within 24 hours in accordance with Article 17 of Chapter 3 of the "Animal Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Regulations". The animal quarantine agency should also take necessary measures immediately after receiving the report and report it to the central competent authority, and the central competent authority should immediately notify the central health competent authority. Article 20 of Chapter 2 also mentions that animal quarantine personnel should instruct animal owners or managers to kill positive animals immediately and burn, bury or compost them.

We combined the information provided by Mr. A, a dairy farmer from a single farm who lodged a complaint, about the inspection process of the Agency for Disease Control and Inspection, as well as interviews with Mr. B, a dairy farmer from the southern part of the country who produces a large dairy brand, and Mr. D, a contracted veterinarian with over 10 years of experience, and found two major situations in which bovine tuberculosis "hidden numbers" may appear in the government's inspection process.

In the first case, the inspector will issue a negative report to the ranch, but will provide the number of another suspected or confirmed positive cow at the time or later. In the second case, the inspector will also issue a negative report to the ranch, but the number of negative cows noted on the top of the document is not equal to the actual number of cows raised on the ranch, which means that the number of cows not included in the negative list is the suspected positive cow.

The intention of these two practices seems to be to indirectly allow dairy farmers to choose the "subsequent treatment" of positive cattle - to cull them all at once? Or to cull them in batches and sell them to slaughterhouses as beef cattle? It is entirely up to the dairy farmers to implement. However, both of the above practices violate the provisions of the "Animal Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Law". So why do government agencies know the law but do not enforce it?

【Policy Strengthening】How should epidemic management be done?

Bovine tuberculosis is known as an ancient disease, which means that it is not uncommon. The question is how to effectively control the disease? Can the amount of money that the government has subsidized in the past for "culling" really solve the epidemic situation of bovine tuberculosis? Has the flow of these funds been maximized? When a ranch is listed as a positive farm and governed, how to work towards the "zero" direction of reducing the number of positives? When state agencies are not aware of the current status of zoonotic diseases, veterinary staff are generally insufficient, and they ignore the fact that front-line dairy farmers have not received good publicity and education about bovine tuberculosis. Although the "culling policy" is an effective solution, if it is not implemented and there is no follow-up complete environmental disinfection measures, bovine tuberculosis may continue to spread.

[Raw Milk Control] How do dairy factories ensure the safety of purchased raw milk and the management of contracted dairy farms?

The industry chain of commercially available fresh milk is generally that dairy farmers raise dairy cows to produce milk, and then the brand owners check the quality of the raw milk they receive, and then sterilize it to make fresh milk, and finally put it on the shelves of major channels across the country for consumers to buy. Therefore, the role of brand owners is crucial. In addition to observing whether the quality of raw milk is qualified, including confirming the appearance color and whether the taste has deteriorated, how can brand owners ensure that the raw milk they receive comes from healthy cows without bovine tuberculosis? Even if the fresh milk is safe after sterilization, it is still the responsibility of the brand owner to control the source of raw milk.

[Safety of milk and meat] Is milk and meat from infected cows safe?

Will the milk and meat of infected cows be food safety issues? This is also the part that the outside world is most concerned about. Although the fresh milk currently sold on the market has no health concerns after being sterilized, and people can drink it with confidence, will this practice be accepted by consumers? As for beef, although there are veterinarians on site at slaughterhouses to do the final check, cows with bovine tuberculosis may not necessarily have nodules visible to the naked eye. How should the central government and local agencies take a two-pronged approach and strictly control it?

Food sources should be safe! The fresh milk we drink should not repeat the "sewer oil incident"

According to the dairy farmer Mr. A who filed the complaint, many farms in Taiwan continue to milk cows that have tested positive for bovine tuberculosis and hand over the raw milk to fresh milk brands, and the resulting fresh milk is then drunk by the public. In other words, is it possible that the raw milk produced by cows that have tested positive for bovine tuberculosis could be used as raw material to make commercially available fresh milk? Dairy farmer Mr. B from the southern part of Taiwan and contracted veterinarian Mr. D, who has been in the industry for more than 10 years, believe that this is very likely to happen in the industry. Although the current sterilization method for commercially available fresh milk can kill bovine tuberculosis bacteria and there is no food safety concern, if there is a problem with the "source" of the fresh milk, it is illegal.

"Even if your final product is safe, but your source is not (safe and secure), then you shouldn't do it." Chen Mingru, a distinguished professor at the Department of Animal Science and Technology at National Taiwan University, expressed her personal opinion on the "source of fresh milk". She used the past "gutter oil incident" (or the lees oil incident) as an example. The refined gutter oil product did not have any food safety concerns, but because the source was not a legitimate fat, it was also illegal. At that time, lees oil was mixed with edible oil, which violated the "Food Safety and Hygiene Management Act". Similarly, Chen Mingru believes that although all fresh milk sold on the market today has been sterilized and there are no health concerns for people to drink, the source of its fresh milk production process still needs to control the raw milk of positive cows from entering the supply chain.

In summary, after receiving a complaint from Mr. A, a dairy farmer on a small farm in southern Taiwan, Food Power investigated and understood the current situation of the farm from multiple perspectives, including industry, government, and academia. We were able to find that bovine tuberculosis has actually had a lot of impact on Taiwan's dairy industry. So how can the central and local governments, brand owners, and dairy farmers better control it? Food Power takes you to an in-depth understanding of the source control of bovine tuberculosis and clarifies the truth behind the possible concealment of disease management.

Review editor: Tong Yizhan, Lin Yuting