S. Korea Reports Additional Case of FMD

Quarantine authorities said baby pigs at a farm in Yeongcheon, 344 kilometers southeast of Seoul, tested positive for FMD, the second confirmed case since Seoul downgraded its alert level last week.

The quarantine authorities said they buried about 80 pigs that showed symptoms of the disease and ordered a restriction on the movement of livestock near the farm.

South Korea lowered the alert level from "orange" to "yellow," the second-lowest level in the four-tiered alert system, on April 12, a sign that the highly contagious disease has been largely contained. Seoul downgraded the level to "orange" from "red," the highest alert level, on 24 March.

South Korea has been making all-out efforts to stem the nationwide spread of the disease since the first case was confirmed last November. The country culled more than 3.47 million cows, pigs and other animals, incurring around 3 trillion won (US$2.78 billion) in losses, and conducted nationwide vaccinations to curb the spread of the disease.

The fresh cases of FMD are raising some concerns about the effectiveness of the vaccinations and the possibility that the FMD virus might have mutated.

Sign up for our
regular news updates

Latest Beef Industry News

•   Ranchers' Rights are Being Trampled
•   Abattoirs in Welfare Footage on Approved Export List
•   Markets Opening to EU and UK Beef Products
•   Regular Reporting on Performance Auditing of ESCAS
•   AWI Accuses USDA of Conning Consumers
•   Mixed Trading Environment for Australian Beef
•   NFU Challenges UK TB Controls
•   Sustainable Livestock at Committee on Agriculture
•   UK Farmers Enjoy Boom as Economy Suffers
•   Cattle Outlook: Strong Dollar Bad for Meat Exports
•   Cattle On Feed: Placements Below Forecast
•   Markets Opening for British Beef and Lamb
•   Spanish Cattle Farm Numbers Decline
•   Central, Eastern Europe Vist UK Beef Expo
•   Grain Fed Cattle Numbers Fall