[Livestock News, Reporter Kim Su-hyeong] The government is moving to improve its disease control system to proactively prevent and contain the spread of major livestock diseases, including highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI), foot-and-mouth disease, and African swine fever (ASF). The key measures are to strengthen farmers’ voluntary biosecurity and flexibly apply livestock culling and movement restrictions according to the characteristics and risk levels of each disease.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced that it has prepared the “K-Livestock Disease Control Improvement Plan” to address new patterns of livestock disease transmission and risk factors. The plan supplements the medium- and long-term livestock disease control development plan established last year and will be implemented around 3 strategies, including strengthening prevention and on-site capabilities, improving the effectiveness of responses to outbreaks, and improving the disease control management system.
First, the government plans to introduce smart technologies and artificial intelligence transformation (AX) in key areas of disease control, such as farm disinfection, access control, and disease detection, and upgrade the Korea Animal Health Integrated System (KAHIS) to respond to risk factors in real time. Farm biosecurity inspections will also shift from a government-led approach to farmer-led self-inspections, while the government steps up intensive inspections of high-risk farms and others.
Starting next year, a certification program for farms with outstanding disease management will be introduced for layer farms, breeding pig farms, and large-scale pig farms. Certified farms will receive benefits such as support for biosecurity supplies and reduced deductions from compensation payments, while customized consulting will be provided to farms with biosecurity vulnerabilities.
Disease-specific response systems will also be strengthened. For foot-and-mouth disease, the government will intensively manage animals that missed vaccination and expand vaccine stockpiles in preparation for the novel SAT1 type. For ASF, it will manage key transmission risks, including wild boars, the distribution of illegally imported livestock products, and plasma protein feed. For highly pathogenic AI, it will introduce a mandatory advance registration system for visitors and vehicles at layer farms and pursue customized biosecurity measures for each densely concentrated farming complex.
In particular, livestock culling and movement restrictions, which have previously been applied uniformly during livestock disease outbreaks, will be implemented flexibly according to the characteristics and risk levels of each disease. Even farms experiencing the first foot-and-mouth disease outbreak may be permitted to cull only part of their livestock if they meet certain conditions. Improvements will also allow culling to be deferred at farms that received pigs from an ASF-affected farm, depending on detailed testing and risk assessment.
Compensation for livestock farmers’ losses will also be expanded. The compensation cap for livestock disease outbreaks will be raised from 80% to 90%, and farms that are the first to report an outbreak in their si/gun/gu may receive up to 100%. Benefits that reduce deductions from compensation payments for farms with outstanding biosecurity will also be expanded. The relevant system will take effect in 4 of next year under the amended Act on the Prevention of Contagious Animal Diseases.
In addition, comprehensive management measures will be drawn up for major economically significant livestock diseases that cause substantial economic damage to livestock farms, including bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED), and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). The development and commercialization of vaccines for major infectious diseases, including foot-and-mouth disease, highly pathogenic AI, and ASF, will also continue to be pursued.
Improvements to disease-control staffing and systems will also proceed in parallel. Livestock disease-control officers will focus on specialized duties such as diagnosis, surveillance, and responding to emerging infectious diseases, while collaboration with private veterinarians will be expanded for farm inspections and vaccinations. In addition, a comprehensive overhaul of the Act on the Prevention of Livestock Infectious Diseases will be pursued, including reforming the livestock disease classification system from the existing species-based categories to a risk-based system.
Lee Dong-sik, Director General of the Disease Control Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, “Changing disease-control conditions, including new transmission routes, have made some aspects difficult to address using the existing system alone. Through these measures, we will work to strengthen preventive capabilities, address shortcomings in the disease-control system, and support the economic stability of livestock farms and the stable supply of livestock products.”
Chuksan Newspaper, CHUKSANNEWS