Gyeongnam Province Conducts Mass Vaccination of Cattle and Goats Against Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Principle of On-Farm Self-Vaccination, Support for Veterinarian Vaccination in Small-Scale and Elderly Farms

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Saeyan] Gyeongsangnam-do will carry out foot-and-mouth disease vaccination for 374,000 cattle and goats raised in the province over six weeks starting April 1.

Gyeongnam Province conducts mass vaccinations twice a year (April and October) to address issues such as livestock farmers avoiding vaccination due to concerns about decreased milk production or abortion, or missed vaccinations.

All cattle and goats in the province are subject to vaccination, but livestock that have been vaccinated less than four weeks ago, those scheduled for shipment within two weeks, and those in late pregnancy (over seven months) are excluded.

The province supports vaccination for small-scale farms with fewer than 50 cattle or 300 goats and for elderly livestock farmers.

To verify vaccination compliance, within four weeks after mass vaccination, farms with antibody positivity rates below the standard based on test results will be fined and required to undergo revaccination and retesting.

Kim Gukheon, Director of Animal Quarantine Division of Gyeongnam Province, said, "Foot-and-mouth disease is a national disaster-level livestock infectious disease, but it can be sufficiently prevented through thorough vaccination," and urged, "Livestock farmers should follow basic quarantine rules to ensure no animals miss vaccination."

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