Farm owners' personal vehicles must also be registered as livestock vehicles... "Enables tracking of movement during epidemiological investigations"

'Livestock Infectious Disease Prevention Act Enforcement Rules' Revised and Promulgated on the 18th
Mandatory 'Tunnel-type Disinfection Facilities' for Large Laying Hen Farms
Quail and Turkey Farms Must Also Equip Entrance Blocking Devices and Disinfection Equipment

Starting from October this year, privately owned passenger cars of farm owners will also be registered as livestock vehicles and monitored by the Korea Animal Health Integrated System (KAHIS). The movement paths of private cars will be automatically collected, enabling epidemiological investigations. Additionally, farms raising more than 100,000 laying hens will be required to install 'tunnel-type disinfection facilities,' and other poultry facilities such as quail and turkey farms must equip entrance blocking devices and disinfection equipment similar to those used in chicken and duck farms, thereby strengthening quarantine standards for the prevention and spread of livestock infectious diseases.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 17th that it will revise and promulgate the "Enforcement Rules of the Livestock Infectious Disease Prevention Act" containing these provisions on the 18th.

Until now, only cargo vehicles operated within farms were mandatorily registered as livestock vehicles. However, based on epidemiological investigation results showing that private vehicles of farm owners who frequently enter farms can spread highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) through wheels like cargo vehicles, a new registration obligation has been imposed. According to the revised rules, passenger cars and vans of farm owners entering farms for the operation and management of livestock facilities must also be registered as livestock vehicles. Once registered, a GPS device linked to KAHIS must be installed on the vehicle. This device automatically collects visit information, enabling epidemiological investigations.

Furthermore, the disinfection equipment and quarantine facility installation standards previously applied only to chicken and duck farming will now be equally applied to six other poultry farming types: quail, turkey, goose, ostrich, pheasant, and goose. Since 2006, there have been a total of 28 cases of highly pathogenic AI outbreaks in other poultry such as quail and turkey, raising concerns about the risk of AI transmission through other poultry. Accordingly, other poultry farms must also install entrance blocking devices, disinfection equipment, and an anteroom at the barn entrance.

For laying hen farms raising more than 100,000 birds, the installation of 'tunnel-type disinfection facilities' has been made mandatory. This is because an outbreak of highly pathogenic AI in large-scale laying hen farms, which affect egg supply, can lead to increased consumer prices and negatively impact the livelihood economy.

The revised enforcement rules will take effect on July 19. However, the standards for installing disinfection equipment and quarantine facilities, as well as the expansion of livestock vehicle registration targets, require sufficient prior publicity and preparation time for livestock farmers and related parties, so these provisions will be applied starting three months after the enforcement date, on October 19.

Ahn Yong-deok, Director of the Quarantine Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, “We expect that this revision of the Enforcement Rules of the Livestock Infectious Disease Prevention Act will establish a more improved institutional foundation to minimize the occurrence of livestock infectious diseases.”

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