Paju City to Conduct Mass Vaccination of Cattle and Goats Against Foot-and-Mouth Disease Starting from the 14th

FMD Outbreak in Yeongam, Jeonnam
Vaccinations Advanced from April 1 to March 14

Gyeonggi Paju City (Mayor Kim Kyung-il) announced on the 19th that the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccination, originally scheduled to begin on April 1, has been advanced and is being implemented from the 14th. This measure follows the occurrence of FMD in the country for the first time in 1 year and 10 months.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease Prevention Vaccination Guide Poster. Provided by Paju City

FMD vaccination has been regularly conducted every April and October, but due to the unexpected outbreak of FMD at a Hanwoo farm in Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do, Paju City decided to strengthen quarantine measures by advancing the original plan by about two weeks.

The vaccination targets are approximately 31,000 cattle and goats across 485 farms in the jurisdiction. During this vaccination period, small-scale farms raising fewer than 50 cattle (or fewer than 300 goats) can receive vaccines free of charge. Commercial-scale farms raising 50 or more cattle can purchase vaccines through the Paju-Yeoncheon Livestock Cooperative and receive a 70% subsidy on the purchase cost.

Paju City plans to mobilize nine public and private veterinarians to support vaccination efforts to prevent omissions and improve efficiency. Additionally, vaccine adjuvants will be provided to minimize stress on livestock, dedicating full efforts to the vaccination campaign.

Starting four weeks after the completion of vaccination, inspections will be conducted to verify vaccination compliance. Farms found to have low antibody positivity rates (80% for cattle, 60% for goats) will face fines ranging from a minimum of 5 million KRW to a maximum of 10 million KRW and will be excluded from preventive medicine support programs, among other penalties.

Lee Kwang-jae, Director of the Animal Management Division, stated, “We ask farms to actively cooperate to ensure vaccination is carried out to prevent the spread of FMD,” and added, “The city will also make every effort to ensure vaccines are administered promptly.” He further emphasized, “Along with vaccination, farms should also adhere to basic quarantine rules such as disinfection and barrier measures.”