By Kim Tong-hyung
The country’s pig stock has been decimated by the recent foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak that devastated farms nationwide, government figures show.
Around 7.04 million pigs were being raised at local farms during the first quarter, down 28.8 percent, or 2.85 million animals, from the same period last year Statistics Korea said Thursday. This represents the lowest pig population since the third quarter of 1997, when 7.06 million pigs were raised at local farms, according to the report.
The number of dairy cows dropped about 8 percent year-on-year to 396,000, while the population of other cattle dipped 1.4 percent to 2.88 million during the period.
The spread of FMD coincided with a bird flu outbreak, which saw the number of chickens raised for meat annually declining 10 percent to 69.93 million during the first quarter. The number of egg-laying hens fell 1.1 percent to 61.03 million from last year, the national statistical office said. The report was based on a survey of farms from March 1 to 15.
Since the first FMD case was reported at a North Gyeongsang Province farm in November last year, the disease swept through the country’s livestock population in virtually every region aside from the southwest.
More than 3.41 million pigs, cattle, goats and deer were culled before government officials declared the outbreak over last month. Combined with the damage caused by avian flu, this led to a full-blown meat crisis that has butchers and consumers reeling from falling supply and rising prices, adding further difficulties in the fight against soaring inflation.
The wholesale price of chicken in February was 2,128 won per kilogram, up 36 percent from December, while pork was trading at 6,372 won, representing a 46 percent increase.