South Korea Orders 48-Hour Standstill After African Swine Fever Outbreak
A 48-hour standstill was ordered on pig farms and related facilities in the eastern Gangwon Province in South Korea this past weekend by the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs after confirmation of a second African swine fever (ASF) case this year.
The movement ban began late on Aug. 18 after an ASF outbreak at a pig farm in Yanggu, a county located about 175 kilometers northeast of Seoul. The ban ended on Aug. 20 at 10:30 p.m.
Quarantine officials are working to slaughter all of the 5,610 pigs raised at the farm, Yonhap wrote, to protect further spread of the deadly virus of pigs. Extensive disinfection work continues at pig farms and adjacent areas across the nation.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo instructed officials to implement steps to mobilize all resources available to contain the spread of ASF and determine the exact infection route.
This latest outbreak has raised questions and caused some concern over the pork supply, especially as the fall harvest holiday, Chuseok, approaches next month.
Authorities say culling should not affect the supply or the prices as the pigs involved in the outbreak only make up 0.05% of the total pigs raised in South Korea, Yonhap said.
Although ASF is not affect humans, it is deadly to pigs and there is currently no vaccine or cure available. For more information on ASF, visit the PorkBusiness.com ASF page.
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