Gangwon-do Implements Spring Wild Boar Breeding Control to Prevent African Swine Fever Outbreaks

Special Management for Vulnerable Farms Including Sow Farms and Complex Farming

Emergency African Swine Fever Quarantine Site Inspection [Gangwon-do]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Gangwon Province is stepping up its African Swine Fever (ASF) prevention measures as the risk of virus transmission to pig farms increases due to the rise in wild boar populations during the spring season.

According to the province on the 23rd, since the ASF outbreak in Inje County last October, there have been no reported ASF cases in pig farms within the province to date.

However, the province anticipates that biosecurity conditions for pig farms will become more challenging due to the recent spread of wild boars to Gyeongbuk and Chungbuk, as well as the increase in wild boar populations in Gangwon Province during the spring breeding season, which facilitates vector activity.

Accordingly, the province plans to promote thorough prevention measures by supporting the establishment of biosecurity infrastructure, maintaining and repairing eight major biosecurity facilities at pig farms with a budget of 1 billion KRW, and conducting regular biosecurity inspections.

In particular, to focus management on vulnerable farms such as sow farms (150 households) and mixed farming operations (34 households), the following measures will be implemented: prohibition of sow barn construction, comprehensive testing before sow shipment, enhanced disinfection and inspection of pig farms engaged in concurrent farming activities, and banning the introduction of farming equipment into farms.

Additionally, every Wednesday will be designated as the "National Simultaneous Disinfection Day," during which all available disinfection resources in the province?including 81 pest control vehicles, 4 wide-area pest control machines, 10 military decontamination vehicles, and 5 drones?will be mobilized to focus disinfection efforts on pig farm access roads and roads near areas where wild boars have been detected.

Seo Jong-eok, Director of Animal Quarantine, stated, "This situation requires meticulous verification and strict management of even minor risk factors," and urged, "We ask pig farm workers to refrain from hiking and farming activities and to adhere to basic biosecurity rules such as daily disinfection of sow barns."

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