‘AI Risk Alert’ Expanded Across Chungnam Province... Full-Scale Emergency Quarantine Efforts

A disinfection vehicle is conducting avian influenza (AI) prevention and control along the roadside in front of a livestock farm in Cheonan, Chungnam. The photo is unrelated to the article. Source=Yonhap News

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungnam Province announced on the 31st that it will expand the issuance of a 'Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (hereafter AI) Risk Warning' to all poultry farms within the province.

In the past week, AI outbreaks have occurred consecutively at poultry farms in Gyeonggi Province (8 cases) and Jeonbuk (1 case), which border Chungnam, leading to the expansion of the risk warning from being limited to layer farms in the Cheonan and Asan areas to the entire Chungnam region.

Following the expanded issuance of the AI risk warning, the province plans to mobilize all poultry farm supervisors to guide farms on biosecurity rules, check compliance with biosecurity measures, and deploy 123 disinfection vehicles to conduct intensive disinfection around farms and migratory bird habitats.

In particular, 2.7 billion KRW in emergency quarantine funds will be urgently provided to cities and counties to expand farm checkpoints, and special inspections of major livestock facilities will also be conducted.

Additionally, the province will promote the purchase and culling of small-scale poultry farms, strengthen the installation of quarantine belts (so-called police lines), and intensify comprehensive farm disinfection.

Previously, since AI occurred at an experience farm in Cheonan on December 14 last year, 9 AI cases have been reported in 4 cities and counties to date. As a result, approximately 2.84 million poultry raised at 48 farms in the region have been culled.

Im Seung-beom, head of the Animal Quarantine and Hygiene Division of the province, stated, “This is a serious situation where AI contaminants can infiltrate farms,” and urged, “Poultry farmers should recognize that the virus is spread throughout all areas outside the barns, disinfect their farms daily, control access, change boots, and comply with basic biosecurity rules.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.