Korean livestock markets closed for foot-and-mouth
Livestock markets across South Korea have been shut down for an indefinite period due to a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Andong, North Gyeongsang province. The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries originally planned to close down 82 cattle markets, but a further two markets on Jeju Island joined the shutdown voluntarily.
Cases of foot-and-mouth disease were discovered in two pig farms and a cattle farm in Andong at the end of November. Another farm in Yeongyang, some 30 kilometers away from Andong, was suspected of harbouring the disease, but tests proved negative. A total of 120 cattle and 12,100 pigs have been slaughtered because of the outbreak. Some 30,000 more livestock are expected to be culled to prevent the spread of the disease.
According to health officials, the owner of the farm visited Vietnam during November and there are migrant workers from Southeast Asia working there. In the past this has been an infection route for the highly contagious disease, however, the exact infection source has not been confirmed yet.
