"After 1 Year, Border Area ASF-Affected Farms Finally Raise Pigs Again"

The restocking application for pig farms affected by ASF in the northern Gyeonggi and Gangwon regions officially began on September 21. On the 21st, five farms from the Yeoncheon area, including Lee Jun-gil, chairman of the ASF Victim Farmers Emergency Countermeasures Committee, who experienced culling and purchase, submitted restocking inspection evaluation applications for pig farms to Yeoncheon County Office.

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyun-jung] Farms in border areas affected by African Swine Fever (ASF) are taking steps to raise pigs again.

The Korea Pork Producers Association announced on the 22nd that five farms in the Yeoncheon area, where ASF culling and purchase took place, submitted applications for pig farm restocking (breeding) inspection and evaluation to Yeoncheon County Office on the 21st. Since the domestic ASF outbreak in September last year, wild boars have continued to test positive, but no additional cases have been confirmed among pig farms since October 9 of last year. Due to last year's ASF outbreak, a total of 446,520 pigs were culled or purchased in Gyeonggi's Yeoncheon, Paju, Gimpo, Goyang, and Incheon's Ganghwa areas.

Pig farms expect to be able to restock as early as mid-next month. The restocking process involves city and county authorities inspecting the cleaning, disinfection, and washing status of pig farms, followed by a farm biosecurity evaluation conducted by an evaluation team composed of pig veterinarians, local governments, and the quarantine headquarters.

The farms applying for restocking this time are scheduled to undergo joint inspector training on the 22nd, the first inspection at the county office on the 23rd, a joint evaluation on the 28th, and the first restocking on the 12th of next month.

The Pork Producers Association has requested government support for rapid restocking. Ha Tae-sik, president of the Pork Producers Association, stated, "The application of ASF biosecurity facilities was aimed not just at passing the simple restocking review criteria but at improving the actual efficiency of biosecurity," and added, "We ask the government to promptly proceed with the designation of remaining priority management areas and environmental inspections to facilitate swift restocking processes."