Naju-si, Making Every Effort to Prevent the Spread of Highly Pathogenic AI

[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yuk-bong] Naju City, Jeollanam-do is making an all-out effort to implement special quarantine measures to block the further spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (hereinafter AI).

According to the city on the 5th, starting from a meat duck farm in Gongsan-myeon on the 21st of last month, highly pathogenic AI occurred at five poultry farms (four meat duck farms and one layer farm) within 10 km in the Bannam and Donggang areas, entering a serious response stage.

Mayor Yoon Byung-tae presided over an emergency joint meeting of related organizations for AI special quarantine measures at the city hall's Ihwa Room on the 3rd and sought extraordinary quarantine measures based on the diagnosis of AI causes.

The meeting was attended by officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Jeollanam-do, and poultry affiliates, who gathered to report the occurrence status, analyze causes, and discuss future quarantine measures.

Mayor Yoon urged early shipment by affiliates and meticulous quarantine inspections of contract farms to proactively block AI.

He also pointed out insufficient disinfection of personnel and equipment upon entering livestock barns, inadequate vehicle disinfection and human disinfection at the second stage (high-pressure spraying), and entering all barns with a single set of work clothes as potential causes of AI occurrence.

As extraordinary quarantine measures, the city decided to install control posts at the entrances of duck farms, add disinfection and control posts for livestock vehicles at major points, mobilize all disinfection resources such as drones and disinfection vehicles, strengthen quarantine in dense layer farm complexes, and designate and operate a daily unified disinfection time for barns.

Currently, two key disinfection facilities (Wanggok and Sanpo), which issue disinfection certificates for livestock vehicles, and five livestock vehicle disinfection control posts at road points for farm entry and exit in the Gongsan and Bannam areas are installed and operated.

In addition, city officials are deployed at 41 control posts at farm entrances, managing the verification of disinfection certificate issuance for all vehicles including feed trucks, livestock shipment trucks, rice hull trucks, and farm operation vehicles from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., controlling unauthorized vehicle and personnel entry and exit, and focusing on whether unified barn disinfection is conducted twice daily.

On the 4th, Mayor Yoon visited the control posts at the entrances of duck farms in the Wanggok and Gongsan areas to check the operation status of the posts and encouraged the staff by delivering snacks and hot packs.

The control post staff, equipped with protective suits, are currently guarding the farm entrances using their own vehicles.

It is realistically difficult to supplement staff because there are more than 40 farms to manage immediately, making it hard to install container-type posts with heating functions.

Mayor Yoon said, “Although the weather has become much colder and the staff are working hard, I hope they stay vigilant to prevent any disruption in quarantine management due to momentary negligence or complacency, and thoroughly check and control vehicle and personnel entry and exit.”

He added, “We will continue thorough quarantine work on all poultry farms, access roads, and migratory bird habitats by mobilizing all available disinfection resources including disinfection facilities, control posts, drones, disinfection and watering vehicles, and quicklime application.”

Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yuk-bong baekok@asiae.co.kr