South Korea reported a highly pathogenic avian influenza, AI, case at a wild geese farm in the country's southwest, authorities said Monday.
The case was discovered at a small wild geese farm in Gwangju, about 300 kilometers south of Seoul, last Tuesday, prompting authorities to raise the alert level and take quarantine measures, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said.
The ministry said it has raised the AI crisis alert from "caution" to "severe," activating local livestock disease control centers in all municipalities.
Under the "severe" alert, frequent inspections at poultry farms will take place, and restrictions will apply to the period for mass stocking and shipment at broiler and duck farms. Gatherings or events involving personnel working at livestock and poultry farms will be banned.
An early epidemiological investigation at the affected farm has found that it violated operation regulations, including unregistered livestock operations and failure to regularly disinfect facilities, the ministry said. (Yonhap)
