South Korea will ban imports of all Japanese meat and by-products from cloven-hoofed animals after the country confirmed an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, the government said Friday (Apr 23).

The Japanese government acknowledged earlier that three cows suspected of being infected with the virus at a farm in Miyazaki Prefecture tested positive for the highly contagious disease. The farm also raises 16 cattle used for breeding.

"All quarantine inspections of products were suspended as of Tuesday, when the preliminary test conducted at the livestock farm turned up positive, but the new development calls for an outright ban," said Chang Ki-yoon, head of the farm ministry's quarantine control division.

He added that fully processed food and hide products may be imported if they meet set production standards, although most goods from cloven hoofed animals will not be allowed to enter the country for the time being.

These include fresh pork, many ham products, and animal hides, the officials said. Due to a previously confirmed case of mad cow disease in Japan, Seoul maintains a ban on beef from the country.

Chang stressed that there will be almost no side effects from the ban as South Korea bought a total of just US$7.5 million worth of meat and other products made from Japanese livestock in 2009.

Foot-and-mouth disease affects all cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, deer and goats, and is classified as a "List A" disease by the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Japan had been free of the disease for a decade with the last outbreak being reported in 2000.

Japan's confirmation of the recent three FMD cases comes as South Korea reported eight outbreaks in April, with China and Vietnam confirming numerous cases of the disease to the OIE this year.