South Korea's agricultural ministry said Wednesday the recent scorching summer heat has had a limited impact on the supply of livestock products, although local farms may suffer more damage down the road if the heat wave continues.

As of Monday, a total of 219,000 chickens died due to the sweltering summer heat in July, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Around 5,000 pigs were also reported dead.

The ministry, however, said the figures are far below those reported in 2018, when some 9 million animals died over the summer as the country was gripped by the most severe heat wave in 111 years.

"The size of the damage for this year, meanwhile, may continue to rise down the road if the heat wave continues for a longer period," the ministry said in a statement.

To avoid the possible impact on the supply of livestock products, the ministry said it will expand monitoring on local farms and inspect their air conditioning systems. (Yonhap)