If You Disobey Fire Blight Control Orders, Compensation Will Be Reduced and Forced Burial Enforced

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Announces Legislative Notice for 'Partial Amendment to the Plant Quarantine Act'
Integrated Pest Information Management... Universities and Research Institutes Also Designated as Inspection Agencies

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Legal grounds will be established allowing authorities to reduce compensation payments and directly disinfect or dispose of affected fruit trees if farmers discover serious pests and diseases such as fire blight but fail to report them or comply with control orders.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 12th that it will publicly notify the draft amendment to the "Plant Protection Act" containing these provisions from the 13th until July 22.

The amendment legalizes basic preventive measures for farmers to prevent and quickly contain the spread of pests and diseases such as fire blight. Farmers must complete pest prevention education once a year and, during farming operations, disinfect tools, apply pest prevention chemicals timely, and keep records of chemical applications. The amendment also specifies grounds for reducing compensation payments if farmers fail to report pests or diseases, do not complete prevention education, or disobey control orders. For orchards that do not comply with control orders, plant protection officers will have the authority to directly disinfect or dispose of the affected fruit trees through administrative enforcement to prevent pest and disease spread.

To integrate pest and disease-related information currently managed separately by the Rural Development Administration, Korea Forest Service, and Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, a national integrated plant pest and disease information system will be established and operated. This system will share information on domestic and international pest and disease occurrences, forecasts, and control status, and enhance analysis functions to strengthen proactive response capabilities.

New provisions have been created to designate universities, research institutes, and other organizations equipped with specialized personnel, equipment, and facilities related to pests and diseases as precise inspection or surveillance agencies. While the Rural Development Administration has been responsible for precise pest diagnosis, this amendment will establish a field-centered rapid diagnosis and control system and strengthen ongoing surveillance activities through public-private cooperation with universities and others.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to collect opinions from stakeholders through the public notification process and complete the amendment procedures by the end of the year. A ministry official stated, "We are establishing a field-centered surveillance and control system to rapidly and effectively manage plant pests and diseases," adding, "We focused on strengthening proactive response capabilities by enhancing information analysis functions through the national integrated plant pest and disease information system."

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