Gangneung Confirms ASF, Over 20,000 Pigs Culled
Gangwon Province Activates Emergency Quarantine System Ahead of Lunar New Year
Governor Kim Jin-tae Issues Urgent Order: "All-Out Efforts to Prevent Further ASF Spread"
Gangneung City Activates Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Level 1
African Swine Fever (ASF) has been confirmed at a pig farm in Gangneung City, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, putting quarantine authorities on high alert. This is the first case confirmed at a local farm in the province in about one year and two months since the outbreak in Hongcheon County in November 2024, heightening tensions in the livestock industry ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.
A panoramic view of Gangwon Provincial Government Building. Provided by Gangwon Provincial Government.
Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province announced on January 17 that it received a report of pig deaths from a pig farm owner in Gangneung City on January 16. In response, the provincial Animal Hygiene Laboratory dispatched quarantine officers to urgently collect samples and conduct a thorough examination. As a result, at around 1:00 a.m. on the 17th, the case was confirmed to be ASF positive.
Immediately after the confirmation, the province dispatched animal quarantine and control officers, as well as an initial quarantine team, to the affected farm to completely restrict access and implement urgent initial response measures, including on-site disinfection.
Quarantine authorities are currently enforcing stringent measures to prevent the spread of ASF. First, they are carrying out emergency culling and burial operations for all 20,075 pigs raised at the affected farm.
In addition, as of 1:00 a.m. on the 17th, a standstill order was issued for livestock workers and vehicles in Gangneung City and six adjacent cities and counties (Yangyang, Donghae, Jeongseon, Pyeongchang, and Hongcheon). Movement restrictions and thorough inspections are also being implemented for 10 farms (25,610 pigs) and epidemiologically related facilities located within a 10-kilometer radius of the affected farm.
Kim Jin-tae, Governor of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, stated, "African Swine Fever is a national disaster-level livestock disease that can cause enormous damage to the entire local livestock industry once it occurs." He instructed, "Work closely with relevant agencies to strictly operate dedicated monitoring of pig farms in the affected area, and concentrate all administrative resources on initial quarantine and containment measures to ensure that further spread is completely prevented."
He added, "As soon as the emergency quarantine situation ends, provide meticulous follow-up management to minimize inconvenience to farms caused by movement restrictions," and urged, "Pig farmers should actively cooperate with the authorities' measures and thoroughly comply with basic quarantine rules, such as restricting farm access and conducting disinfection."
Gangneung City activated Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Level 1 on the 17th to prevent the spread of African Swine Fever and to ensure rapid response, and held an emergency countermeasure meeting. Provided by Gangneung City
Meanwhile, Gangneung City activated Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Level 1 on January 17 to prevent the spread of African Swine Fever and to ensure rapid response, and held an emergency countermeasure meeting. The city has set up control posts at all farms to enforce the standstill order until 1:00 a.m. on the 19th, and established an on-site situation room and deployed equipment for emergency culling operations.
Kim Hong-kyu, Mayor of Gangneung, instructed, "We will make every effort to respond with all available administrative resources, focusing on initial quarantine and containment measures in the affected area to prevent the spread of African Swine Fever."
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