Highly Pathogenic AI Hits Jinju Duck Farm... All Departments of Gyeongnam Province Mobilize for Response

Establishment of Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, Issuance of Hazard Advisory, etc.

Vehicles mobilized for culling at a meat duck farm in Jinju, Gyeongnam, where highly pathogenic AI occurred, are being disinfected.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Gyeongsangnam-do announced on the 14th that on the 12th, a meat duck farm in Sugok-myeon, Jinju City, was confirmed to have highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1.

Gyeongnam Province confirmed the diagnosis through final detailed testing and explained that this is the first case of highly pathogenic AI occurrence in poultry farms since this winter season.

The province has established the Avian Influenza Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and entered a full-scale response system involving all departments.

Quarantine responses and enhanced blocking measures to prevent further spread have been strengthened, focusing on the affected area.

On the 12th, as soon as the suspected infected animal was confirmed by the livestock quarantine officer of the Animal Hygiene Testing Laboratory, an initial response team was dispatched to the affected farm to control movement and thoroughly disinfect the inside and outside of the livestock barns and nearby roads.

Movement restrictions and emergency surveillance were also conducted on approximately 251,000 poultry raised at 354 farms within the 10 km quarantine zone.

At the entrance of the affected farm and major access roads, movement control checkpoints were installed to restrict the entry and exit of people and vehicles. From 11 p.m. on the 12th, a 24-hour standstill order was issued for all poultry farms and related facilities in the province, as well as farms and related facilities affiliated with the affected farm.

To prevent further spread, 16,000 meat ducks at the AI-affected farm and 74,000 poultry raised at nearby farms were culled, and the carcasses were disposed of using mobile heat treatment (rendering) methods.

To accurately identify the cause of the AI outbreak, an epidemiological investigation is underway jointly with the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency and the Gyeongnam Animal Hygiene Testing Laboratory.

Movement restrictions and disinfection measures have been implemented at poultry farms and related facilities connected to the affected farm.

A highly pathogenic AI risk advisory has been issued in preparation for the cold wave, and 250 poultry officers have been mobilized to promote biosecurity guidelines for poultry farms, including the use of effective disinfectants in low temperatures and prevention of freezing damage to disinfection facilities.

Jung Yeonsang, Director of the Agricultural Policy Bureau, said, “As morning temperatures drop sharply, disinfection conditions are expected to worsen. We ask poultry farms and related workers to be especially cautious to ensure that disinfection, which is key to blocking infection, is thoroughly carried out on site.”

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