South Korea confirms fifth FMD outbreak

 

 

The South Korean government on Tuesday (Jan 19) confirmed its fifth outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at a beef cattle farm north of Seoul, a development that threatens to further delay the resumption of the country's meat exports.

 

The farm, located in Yeoncheon about 10 kilometres away from where the first outbreak was confirmed on January 7, reported Monday that some of its animals were starting to show symptoms of the illness, the agriculture ministry said.

 

All of the farm's 34 head of cattle will be culled, the ministry said, along with 28 head of cattle at a nearby farm that is within a 3 kilometre radius of the outbreak to prevent the spread of the disease.

 

The latest case is the first to be confirmed outside of the Pocheon area, located about 45 kilometres north of Seoul.

 

"The exact cause of the fifth outbreak is being examined in detail because there is no known connection between this farm and those that had confirmed FMD cases in the past," an official said. In earlier cases, a veterinarian may have unknowingly carried the virus from one farm to the next while checking animals.

 

"Because the owner of the farm also owned a feed store, frontline authorities are ordering a recall of all products sold in recent weeks and plans to dispatch quarantine officials to check livestock that came in contact with the feed," he said.

 

The ministry, meanwhile, said it is investigating two cases in which cattle have shown early symptoms like profuse salivation and unwillingness to eat fodder.

 

A dairy farm in Seosan, about 100 kilometres southwest of Seoul, has been quarantined and will be decontaminated. Another dairy farm in Pocheon, about 20 kilometres away from the first outbreak site, said its animals were sick. The Seosan farm has 79 cows, while the Pocheon farm has 95 animals.

 

Definitive tests are expected to come out on Wednesday, with quarantine experts banning movement of animals from farms. People and vehicles must be thoroughly decontaminated before being allowed out of the farm and the surrounding neighborhood.

 

Seoul said earlier in the day that it will not pay full compensation for animals culled if farms with confirmed outbreaks are found not to have carried out preventative decontamination.

 

The outbreak has halted all meat exports from South Korea, translating into losses for its farmers and meat exporters.

 

FMD affects all cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, hogs and goats, causing blisters on the feet and mouths of livestock and sometimes leading to death. It can be spread via air, feed and imported farm products that have not been sterilised. Humans, though not affected by the disease, can be carriers.