'Preemptive Prevention Focus'... Gangwon-do's Proactive Response to Livestock Infectious Diseases

104 Billion KRW Invested in 'Top 3 Social Disaster Types' Animal Quarantine
Construction of Dedicated Biosafety Level 3 Precision Testing Facility

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Gangwon Province will prepare countermeasures for the three major social disaster-type livestock infectious diseases and 'animal quarantine, animal disease testing, and livestock product hygiene and safety' with a total budget of 10.4 billion KRW this year.

According to the Gangwon Provincial Animal Hygiene Testing Laboratory on the 16th, 2.9 billion KRW will be invested in the animal quarantine and animal disease testing sector focused on prevention to operate a special quarantine countermeasure situation room and strengthen disease surveillance to block the occurrence and enable early detection of 'Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (AI)', 'African Swine Fever (ASF)', and 'Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD)'.

In particular, since African Swine Fever and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza continue to occur domestically, a special quarantine countermeasure situation room is being operated to respond to these diseases, maintaining a system for reporting and receiving suspected livestock cases, emergency dispatch, and precise diagnosis.

Thorough inspections will be conducted according to disease-specific and entry-route-specific disease monitoring and testing plans for early detection in case pathogens enter the province.

To preemptively block pathogen inflow through airports and ports, the Animal Quarantine Center (base disinfection facility) operates disinfection for arriving visitors and vehicles, special management of livestock-related personnel (including vehicles), and confirmation and inspection of imported livestock and products.

Additionally, activities to prevent zoonotic diseases will be carried out, including promotion of certification for Brucellosis-free and Bovine Tuberculosis-free dairy farms, as well as testing for infectious diseases in companion animals.

In the livestock product hygiene and safety sector, 1.4 billion KRW is allocated to continuously conduct residue inspections of veterinary drugs and pesticides in meat, edible eggs, and raw milk, as well as microbial contamination prevention and hygiene management.

Hygienic processing of livestock shipped to slaughterhouses, early detection of nonconforming livestock products, and verification testing of Korean beef distributed within the province will strengthen transparency and safety in livestock product distribution.

Furthermore, 6 billion KRW has been secured for the construction of a Biosafety Level 3 dedicated precision testing facility for African Swine Fever (ASF), selected last year through a Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs public project, with completion targeted for this year.

Since designating precision diagnostic institutions for Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in 2015, Gangwon Province is the fourth local government nationwide to establish a precision diagnostic system for all three major social disaster-type livestock infectious diseases including African Swine Fever.

Seo Jong-eok, head of the Gangwon Provincial Animal Hygiene Testing Laboratory, said, "We will devote all efforts to creating a clean Gangwon free from malignant livestock infectious diseases to supply safe and hygienic livestock products from farms to tables."