By Lee Hyo-sik
Livestock farms in northern Gyeonggi Province have been put on the highest alert for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), with several pig and cattle farms there falling victim to the deadly virus over the past two days.
After devastating farms in Andong and other cities in North Gyeongsang Province over the past few weeks, the disease has made its way into the region surrounding Seoul.
Experts say it is just a matter of time for foot-and-mouth disease to spread to the rest of the country, given that the virus becomes more infectious in cold weather.
On Wednesday, two pig farms in Yangju and Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, were confirmed to be infected with FMD, forcing the owners to cull a total of 24,000 pigs. Additionally, a total of 18,000 pigs and cows at 23 farms within a 500-meter radius of the infected farms were slaughtered and buried.
Later on the same day, a cattle farm in nearby Paju was confirmed infected with the deadly disease, forcing owners and quarantine authorities to destroy cows, pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals in the area. But FMD tests on suspected cattle farms in Mungyeong and Yeongdeok in North Gyeonggsang Province were found negative.
While having set up a quarantine zone around Yangju and Yeoncheon to disinfect cars and taking other measures to stop the virus from spreading, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is examining the genetic traits of FMD found in Gyeonggi Province to compare them to those of the virus detected throughout North Gyeongsang Province.
Minister of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Yoo Jeong-bok told lawmakers Thursday that the FMD viruses found both in Andong and Gyeonggi Province are both O-type. “But after analyzing their 639 genes, five to six genes were different between the two. This means that FMD virus in Gyeonggi Province can be a different strain from the one in Andong. Or, the virus has mutated on its way to Gyeonggi. We are now trying to determine which is the case,” Yoo said.
The minister then said the government will set aside additional money to compensate affected livestock farmers for losses from the slaughter of their cattle and pigs. “We ask the National Assembly to quickly pass a revised bill under which those refusing to have their livestock farms disinfected be subject to up to a year in prison. The government will also restrict farmers and others dealing with livestock from traveling overseas,” he stressed.
Farms in Andong first reported the disease on Nov. 29, about half a year after the last outbreak in Korea. In five days the epidemic spread to Yecheon, about 21 kilometers southwest of Andong.
A total of 36 farms have been confirmed to be infected with the disease so far, with more than 175,541 livestock slaughtered as a result, the largest ever. In 2002, a total of 165,555 domesticated animals were destroyed. Those farms are estimated to suffer more than 300 billion won in losses.
Korea was declared clear of the disease in September by the World Organization for Animal Health, but was deprived of the status following the recent outbreak. The disease affects animals with cloven hooves, such as cows, pigs, sheep, goats and deer.