The animal quarantine authorities of the Agriculture Ministry on Tuesday confirmed the first breakout of foot-and-mouth disease in eight months, vowing stronger watch on the spread of the livestock disease.
The Agriculture Ministry dispatched specialists to a farm in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, where 700 pigs were tested positive for foot-and-mouth disease on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, or QIA, said the 700 pigs at a farm in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, tested positive for foot-and-mouth disease, a day after the initial report. All 700 were secluded and destroyed.
The infectious disease affects cloven-hoofed animals, with mortality rate of 50 to 80 percent.
The Agriculture Ministry dispatched specialists to Gimje to prevent further infection and to restrict access of animals and vehicles within 3 kilometers of the farm.
Following the quarantine move, the Ministry of Public Safety and Securities raised the alert level for the foot-and-mouth disease by a notch, to the second highest level.
By Chung Joo-won (
joowonc@heraldcorp.com)
