The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced today (September 16) that it has designated the period from next month through February of next year as a special quarantine period for livestock diseases.

The main targets for intensive management include highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI), foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), and African swine fever (ASF).

Lee Dong-sik, director general for disease policy at the ministry, explained during a policy briefing today, "We forecast a high probability of livestock disease outbreaks this winter." He added, "Highly pathogenic AI outbreaks among wild birds overseas have more than doubled compared to the same period last year, and FMD type SAT1, which mainly occurred in Africa and the Middle East, has newly emerged in neighboring countries such as China and Mongolia."

He also diagnosed, "The risk level has increased as new transmission pathways have been identified for African swine fever."

Regarding highly pathogenic AI quarantine, the government will launch an early migratory bird warning system starting this month.

If risk signs such as an increase in the migratory bird population appear around farms, warnings will be issued to farms via the "Migratory Bird Information Alert System."

Migratory bird habitats will be managed using disinfection vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), and 280 restricted zones for livestock vehicle entry will be designated.

A three-step quarantine system—consisting of base disinfection facilities, farm entrances, and livestock barns—will be applied to farms, while large laying hen farms will face an enhanced four-step quarantine that requires pre-registration of entering vehicles and personnel.

The government aims to install around 100 unmanned checkpoint posts capable of checking entering vehicles even during early morning hours at large laying hen farms and concentrated livestock complexes.

Customized quarantine measures tailored to each region will be implemented in 95 cities, counties, and districts where AI has occurred within the past decade.

Intensive management will be applied to 12 concentrated laying hen complexes as well as Pyeongtaek, Hwaseong, and Seobuk-gu in Cheonan, which saw frequent outbreaks last year. Gimje, a high-risk area where outbreaks have occurred for three consecutive years, will be specially managed through breeding density adjustments and designated routes for entering vehicles.

If AI is confirmed at a farm or in wild birds, the crisis alert will immediately be raised to its highest level, "Severe," prompting pan-governmental responses such as a nationwide temporary standstill order.

In addition, the transmission risk level will be assessed every two weeks to adjust the scope of livestock culling, and incentives such as supplies will be provided to farms with exemplary quarantine practices.

Regarding FMD quarantine, the ministry explained that preliminary vaccinations have been completed for farms and breeding stock in border regions near Incheon, Gyeonggi, and Gangwon provinces in preparation for the influx of the SAT1 strain.

Vaccinations will also be rolled out to 28 cities and counties designated as semi-high-risk areas for FMD by early next year.

The government plans to stockpile 32 million doses of SAT1 vaccines by next year.

For ASF quarantine, thermal imaging drones, detection dogs, and search teams will be deployed to Hwacheon, Chuncheon, Chungju, Pocheon, and Gapyeong, where wild boar carcasses have been intensively detected.

One hundred fifty wild boar capture traps will be installed in Ulsan and Goryeong, where new detections were made.

In addition, samples from 64 slaughterhouses and 36 blood storage facilities nationwide will be tested to block contaminated blood from being used as feed ingredients.

Furthermore, X-ray screenings and detection dogs will be intensively deployed for airline routes from ASF-affected countries, and crackdowns on distribution stages such as foreign grocery stores will be expanded from twice to four times a year.

The ministry urged the public to refrain from visiting migratory bird habitats and livestock farms around the Chuseok holiday, and called on livestock farmers to strictly follow basic quarantine rules, including restricting vehicle access and conducting disinfection.

(Photo: Yonhap News)