Agricultural News
Livestock Cull Passes Half Million Mark in Korea Because of Foot and Mouth Disease
Wed, 29 Dec 2010 7:15:52 CST
The numbers are all over the place- but in searching the various stories that are coming out of South Korea- the government has upped their response level as high as it can go to the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in that nation. To this point- their efforts have done little to keep the disease from spreading- both hog and cattle farms have been hit hard.
A report from the China Daily indicates "A total of "470,000 animals, including 59,000 cattle, 403,000 pigs and some sheep and deer, have been culled so far," Yoo Jeong-bok, Minister for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said." and the latest article we have found from the Korean Times reports "Some 523,000 cows and pigs have been slaughtered and buried so far, and losses are estimated to total 450 billion won." That figures to over $400 million dollars of losses and rising.
At least 60 farms and locations adjacent to those farms have been impacted. All 85 livestock markets in that country are closed.
South Korea has also decided to use what could be called the nuclear option with FMD- vaccination. That same China Daily report indicates "The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, meanwhile, said it has expanded areas that will be given animal vaccines to control the spread of foot-and-mouth disease. Vaccines will be administered in 12 regions across the country from the initial five announced last week.
"In a desperate attempt to curtail the spread of the disease, the government launched vaccinations last week, risking a longer export ban from overseas.
"It takes longer for a country that launches vaccinations to regain disease-free status from the World Organization for Animal Health than when the disease is curbed solely by culling."
Click here for the FMD update from the China Daily.
Click here for the update from the Korea Times showing that number of culled animals at more than a half million.
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