Will More Fences Stop ASF Spread In South Korea?
South Korea authorities are building more fences to raise its guard against the deadly African swine fever (ASF) virus. A growing number of infections among wild boars have been reported lately, the Yonhap News Agency reports.
Since October 2019, South Korea has reported 883 cases of ASF in wild boars in border areas, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs.
Earlier this year, South Korea installed fences at borders to prevent wild boars from reaching pig farms, but traces of the disease have been discovered outside of the fenced area in Inje, Yonhap News Agency reports. The country plans to send 35 officials to Inje to search for more wild boar remains.
Authorities continue to request that pig farms follow strict preventative guidelines, including applying quicklime around barns. In the past year, 14 domestic pig farms have reported ASF outbreaks. The most recent two cases took place in October.
ASF is a deadly virus of pigs and does not affect humans or the food supply. However, it has caused major economic upheaval in the global pork industry since the virus struck the world’s largest pork producer, China, in August 2018.
Read what leading experts in the U.S. have to say about the potential impact of the virus if it were to reach U.S. borders.
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