Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryeong on Monday convened a meeting at the government complex in Sejong to discuss stricter quarantine measures aimed at preventing outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease.
Quarantine officials said that highly pathogenic avian influenza has been appearing sporadically this winter with the arrival of migratory birds, prompting authorities to implement preventive culling and impose movement restrictions around affected farms. African swine fever has also shown signs of spreading into some previously unaffected regions.
Adding to concerns, foot-and-mouth disease has also returned after roughly nine months, with a case detected at a cattle farm in Ganghwa, Incheon, at the end of last month.
Officials said that one to two weeks after the holiday, which begins late next week, will likely determine whether the diseases have spread, given their incubation periods.
Government authorities are urging livestock farmers and related workers to step up surveillance and step up disinfection measures.
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