Yangju City Intensifies Foot-and-Mouth Disease Prevention... Vaccination for Cattle and Goats Until the 31st

Mass Vaccination of 18,890 Cattle and Goats at 337 Livestock Farms to Prevent Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Gyeonggi Yangju City (Mayor Kang Su-hyun) announced that it will conduct mass vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease for 18,890 cattle and goats raised in 337 livestock farms within the city until the 31st.

A panoramic view of Yangju City Hall. Provided by Yangju City.

This measure is to prevent missed vaccinations and strengthen herd immunity to block virus infection, following the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the country on the 14th.

Vaccines will be fully supported free of charge for small-scale farms with fewer than 50 cattle, fewer than 1,000 pigs, and goat farms, while 70% of the vaccine purchase cost will be subsidized for full-time farmers.

To prevent missed vaccinations, veterinarians will directly vaccinate cattle, and Yangju Livestock Cooperative and capture teams will vaccinate goats, while pig vaccinations will be carried out by farms themselves according to the existing vaccination schedule.

After vaccination, related institutions such as the Animal Hygiene Testing Laboratory will inspect the formation of antibodies against foot-and-mouth disease, and if the antibody positivity rate falls below the standard (80% for cattle, 60% for goats, 60% for breeding pigs, 30% for fattening pigs), a fine of up to 10 million won will be imposed.

A Yangju City official urged, “As the first foot-and-mouth disease case occurred domestically this year and concerns about disease spread have increased, livestock farms are requested to actively cooperate with quarantine through thorough vaccination.”