'African Swine Fever' with 100% Fatality Rate Hits for the First Time
Movement Restricted at 28 Farms
48-Hour Nationwide Standstill Ordered
African Swine Fever (ASF), which has a fatality rate of 100%, has been confirmed for the first time in Dangjin, Chungnam, the region with the largest pig population in South Korea. With immediate implementation of the highest-level quarantine measures, including the culling of all pigs at the affected and related farms, the livestock industry has gone into emergency mode.
On November 25, the Chungnam provincial government announced that a pig farm in Songsan-myeon, Dangjin City, had tested positive for African Swine Fever (ASF) after examining a deceased pig.
According to the provincial government, the farm was raising a total of 463 pigs. It was confirmed that two pigs died on the 17th and 18th, and four more died on the 23rd and 24th, prompting the farm owner to request an inspection.
The Provincial Animal Hygiene Laboratory analyzed samples from one deceased pig and 14 pigs from the same pen, and all tested positive for ASF.
The deceased pig was identified as a 24-week-old animal introduced from a breeding farm in Hapcheon, Gyeongnam, on November 4.
Following the first outbreak of ASF, the province immediately alerted city and county authorities, the Korea Pork Producers Association, and pig farmers, and imposed access controls and movement restrictions on the affected farm.
Additionally, 28 pig farms within a 10-kilometer radius have been subjected to disinfection and movement restrictions. All pigs at the affected farm and two other farms owned by the same farmer are scheduled to be culled on the same day.
Furthermore, 112 epidemiologically related facilities, including feed factories and slaughterhouses, are undergoing disinfection and movement restrictions. Epidemiologically linked farms will be subject to movement restrictions and thorough inspections for 19 days. Four control posts have been installed within a 3-kilometer radius of the affected farm.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has issued a 48-hour standstill order for all pig farms and related vehicles nationwide, effective from 9 a.m. on November 25 to 9 a.m. on November 27, to prevent the spread of ASF.
Chungnam is the leading region for pig farming in South Korea, with 2.42 million pigs raised at 1,027 farms, accounting for 22.2% of the national total. In Dangjin alone, 120 farms are raising 315,000 pigs, raising significant concerns about the potential spread of the disease.
Lee Jeongsam, Director of the Provincial Livestock and Agriculture Bureau, stated, "We are making every effort to implement emergency quarantine measures to prevent further spread." He urged, "Farms must strictly comply with biosecurity measures, including prohibiting the entry and exit of external pigs, restricting and disinfecting farm access, and changing into dedicated boots."
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