New FMD outbreak in South Korea

South Korea has discovered a new outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), less than a month after the nation declared itself free of the disease.

The disease was discovered in cattle at a farm in Ganghwa, 58 kilometres west of the capital Seoul, the nation's agricultural ministry said. The government destroyed about 200 animals at the farm, limited traffic and carried out disinfection around the area, it said.

The FMD virus is one of the most contagious animal diseases and can have high mortality rates in young animals, according to the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

The Northeast Asian nation reported its first outbreak of the disease in eight years in January after dairy cows at a farm in Pocheon were confirmed to have the virus. The government culled a total of 5,956 cows and pigs in January, incurring damages of 42.5 billion won (US$38 million), the ministry said.

Meanwhile, South Korea last year exported 12,515 tonnes of pork worth US$11.6 million, according to data from the Korea Meat Trade Association.