Reduction of Compensation for AI and African Swine Fever Outbreak Responsible Farms

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to Enforce Revised 'Livestock Infectious Disease Prevention Act Enforcement Decree' from the 14th
Only 30-80% Compensation Provided for Disease Control Grade Farms in Case of Infectious Disease Outbreak

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government has decided to reduce compensation payments to livestock farmers responsible for outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) or African swine fever (ASF).

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 7th that it revised the "Enforcement Decree of the Livestock Infectious Disease Prevention Act" on the 5th and will implement it starting from the 14th.

According to the amendment, if highly pathogenic AI occurs on farms excluded from culling due to high quarantine standards, compensation will be paid at a rate between 30% and 80% of the livestock appraisal value, considering it as negligence in quarantine obligations.

The government introduced a disease management grading system and decided to exempt farms that have established sufficient quarantine facilities and actively participated in preventive activities from the principle of preventive culling within a 3 km radius of AI-confirmed farms. However, if AI breaks out on such exempted farms, culling compensation may be reduced by up to 70% of the damage amount.

Full compensation of the appraisal value will be paid to livestock owners who comply with the culling order. For farms where ASF occurred due to feeding leftover food to pigs, the compensation will be reduced by the full appraisal value, thereby strengthening farmers' quarantine responsibilities.

For foot-and-mouth disease, highly pathogenic AI, and ASF, compensation to the first reporting farm in each city or county has been adjusted from the current 100% payment to 90%, considering their responsibility for outbreak prevention. If antibodies are detected in epidemiologically related farms through epidemiological investigations, compensation will also be reduced by up to 40%.

A new standard for imposing fines has been established. If livestock contract farming operators fail to conduct quarantine education and inspections for entrusted farms, the fine amounts will be increased to enhance effectiveness.

If a farm violates the obligation to maintain antibody positivity rates by livestock type when complying with orders such as highly pathogenic AI testing or foot-and-mouth disease vaccination, and subsequently violates the preventive vaccination order after being fined, fines ranging from 5 million to 10 million KRW will be imposed depending on the number of violations.

Previously, information on livestock infectious disease outbreaks was limited to publication on city/provincial livestock quarantine agency websites and livestock-related newspapers and magazines. This will now be expanded to include internet websites, newspapers, and magazines for broader public disclosure.

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