The Government of South Korea has ordered the culling of thousands of pigs following confirmation of an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF).
The ASF disease was found in a pig farm in the city of Paju, at the country’s border with North Korea, which reported an ASF outbreak in May.
South Korean Agricultural Minister Kim Hyun-soo said that the first case of ASF was confirmed after five pigs, which died at the farm, were tested positive.
Hyun-soo said: “We will invest maximum effort to prevent the disease from spreading … we believe the first week (following the outbreak) would be most dangerous.
“We will quickly complete monitoring inspections at the 6,300 farms (nationwide) … checking each pig to see whether it has fever or not and testing on even the slightest of symptoms.”
To stop the further spread of the disease to other parts of the country, government officials have ordered the culling of 4,000 pigs at three farms, which are run by the same family members.
The government, as a precautionary measure, has also ordered a 48-hour standstill on all pig farms and slaughterhouses.
The disease threatens the industry, which has around 6,000 farms that are engaged in raising more than 11 million pigs.
African swine fever has led to the culling of pig herds in China and other Asian countries. Although it is harmless to people, it is fatal for pigs with no known cure available.
According to the presidential Blue House, the South Korean President Moon Jae-in has ordered for quick quarantine measures to safeguard the country’s pork industry.
In June, the country’s agricultural ministry said that blood tests of pigs from around 340 farms near its border with North Korea were found to be negative.
