July 15, 2025

More than 160,000 farm animals in South Korea dead in one day as heat wave hits country

A relentless heat wave sweeping across South Korea is causing unprecedented livestock losses nationwide, with authorities reporting a dramatic surge in farm animal deaths as temperatures continue to soar.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters on July 10, 160,123 farm animals died nationwide on July 8 alone, with poultry accounting for 158,006 among them. The remaining 2,117 were pigs.

The scale of the crisis is staggering. From May 20 to July 8, 379,475 animals perished, a 7.6-fold increase compared to 49,799 recorded in the same period last year.

The daily toll has nearly doubled in just 24 hours, from 81,970 animals on July 7 to just over 160,000 on July 8.

Regional data show North Jeolla Province was hit hardest with 87,144 livestock deaths, followed by South Jeolla with 81,515, North Gyeongsang with 52,195, South Chungcheong with 50,962, North Chungcheong with 43,049 and South Gyeongsang with 36,772.

Notably, North Jeolla Province — home to many poultry farms — has seen daily losses of around 20,000 chickens and ducks over the past three days.

In one incident, a farm in Gokseong County lost 15,900 chickens in a single day. Another report from Yeongnam County detailed the death of 1,600 duck.

- The Korea Times