President of NongHyup Central Association Inspects AI Quarantine Status in Cheonan and Asan

Lee Seong-hee, President of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, is checking the AI quarantine dashboard for the Cheonan and Asan areas (photo center). Photo by Lee Seong-hee

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyun-jung] On the 27th, Lee Sung-hee, President of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF), visited the Cheonan and Asan areas in Chungnam to inspect the avian influenza (AI) quarantine status and encourage the on-site joint quarantine team staff.

Prior to this, highly pathogenic AI was confirmed on the 25th from wild bird droppings collected at Bonggangcheon in Cheonan City, prompting poultry farms and related personnel to engage in quarantine activities. The Chungnam joint quarantine team operates 13 livestock cooperatives and 63 squads, and even before the occurrence of this highly pathogenic AI, all staff have been deployed daily to quarantine sites, cooperating with local governments to conduct blocking quarantine activities.

Immediately after the confirmation, NACF urgently deployed three quarantine vehicles and one wide-area sprayer to the affected area for special disinfection to prevent further spread. They supported 135 farms in the Cheonan and Asan areas with 50 tons of quicklime, 270 kg of disinfectants, and 135 boxes of protective suits, and increased the disinfection activities of the joint quarantine team and wide-area sprayers to more than once daily.

Lee Sung-hee, President of NACF, stated, "As highly pathogenic AI outbreaks are rapidly increasing in Europe and neighboring countries and have also occurred in wild birds, it is a very dangerous situation where it can occur at any time in domestic poultry farms." He urged, "All poultry farms nationwide must strictly adhere to the highly pathogenic AI blocking quarantine rules more than ever, including controlling livestock vehicle access, daily disinfection inside farms, prohibiting visits to migratory bird habitats and farmland, and wearing dedicated boots for each livestock barn." He added, "NACF will mobilize all available quarantine resources to take the lead in blocking quarantine."