Fall armyworm invades China, and the damage is more serious than African swine fever

Fall armyworm larvae have appeared in Taiwan, but no adult has been captured yet. The Council of Agriculture has raised the level of disease prevention to stop the fall armyworm from taking root in Taiwan and reproducing the next generation. On the afternoon of the 11th, Premier Su Tseng-chang changed his schedule and went to Flying Cow Ranch in Miaoli County, where the first fall armyworm larva was found, to inspect the handling of emergency prevention measures. He said, "The fall armyworm is more troublesome than African swine fever. The fall armyworm flies directly from China, and it eats corn, rice, grass, and tree leaves. Not only farmland, but also parks managed by the Ministry of the Interior, schools managed by the Ministry of Education, and farms managed by the Veterans Affairs Council are all under threat."

The first fall armyworm larva case was reported on June 8, and DNA identification on the 10th confirmed it was fall armyworm. There are still 2 cases awaiting identification, one in Yilan and one in Chiayi. The Council of Agriculture judges that they were brought over by the southwest airflow. As for why the sex pheromone traps that were set up could not catch adults, experts speculate that they had probably already died after mating and laying eggs. The focus of prevention at this stage is that the larvae must not be allowed to grow up, otherwise the fall armyworm will have effectively taken root in Taiwan.

●Further reading"Suspected cases in Yilan and Chiayi await confirmation

After inspecting fall armyworm prevention work, Su Tseng-chang instructed that central and local disaster response teams be established; in epidemic areas where pesticides can be used, farmers should be assisted in spraying; in epidemic areas where pesticides are not suitable, the areas should be immediately cleared and buried, and farmers should be compensated for their losses as soon as possible.

The fall armyworm is an important agricultural pest internationally. Corn, rice, wheat, and sorghum are its main targets. Taiwan grows a lot of both corn and rice. Su Tseng-chang called on all people to once again work together on prevention to block the fall armyworm, otherwise the rice and corn would all be eaten up by them, "and this damage will be even more severe than African swine fever." He also demanded that the Council of Agriculture must prepare the relevant prevention personnel, fully prepare pesticides and equipment, and distribute photos for identifying the fall armyworm to all counties and cities so that everyone will be more alert to it. "If local authorities do not cooperate, or if central ministries and agencies are negligent, responsibility will definitely be pursued without leniency."

The way to prevent the disease is through reporting. If a suspected fall armyworm is found, call the prevention hotline 0800-039-131 as soon as possible, and the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine will send personnel to inspect. Farmers in particular must not take it lightly. The Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine said that during this period they must actively inspect fields to see whether this pest, which can eat up the hard-earned results of their work, has appeared.