Only Culling of Rumpyskin-Affected Cattle... 'Seosan, Dangjin, Gochang, and Chungju' Maintain Whole-Herd Culling

From the 13th, culling only positive herds
Strengthening quarantine measures including a two-week nationwide livestock movement ban

On the 10th, with the completion of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) vaccination for all cattle nationwide, the government decided to switch to selective culling. Only cattle testing positive for LSD will be selectively culled, while the four cities/counties with a high number of cases?Seosan, Dangjin, Gochang, and Chungju?will maintain the previous policy of culling all cattle.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for LSD announced on the 13th that, in principle, selective culling of only positive livestock will be applied to farms where LSD has occurred starting from that day.

An official from the headquarters explained, "This decision was made considering that nationwide vaccination has been completed, and except for some cities/counties, cases are occurring sporadically. Additionally, with the expected decline in vector insect activity due to falling temperatures, the overall trend and transmission characteristics of LSD were comprehensively taken into account."

In fact, the number of LSD cases has been decreasing: 47 cases in the first week (September 19?25), 28 cases in the second week (October 25?November 1), 12 cases in the third week (November 2?8), and 4 cases in the fourth week (November 9 to present).

The headquarters will conduct clinical and detailed tests on all cattle at LSD-affected farms and selectively cull only those testing positive; this policy applies to all cattle farms nationwide.

However, for cities/counties with a high number of cases so far, or those where cases have occurred within the last two weeks (within 14 days) and where risk assessments indicate that transmission inside or outside farms cannot be ruled out (currently Seosan, Dangjin, Gochang, and Chungju), the existing policy of culling all cattle will be maintained.

The headquarters plans to flexibly adjust the designation of high-risk cities/counties and the application of selective culling based on weekly risk assessments by the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (hereafter Quarantine Agency) and expert opinions.

In line with the transition to selective culling, the headquarters will strengthen biosecurity measures at farms and local governments. First, biosecurity management at affected farms will be enhanced. These farms will have restricted movement of people and vehicles for four weeks, and a dedicated management system will be introduced with local government personnel closely monitoring the farms. Clinical tests will be conducted at least once a week along with periodic detailed tests. After four weeks, detailed cattle tests, environmental tests, and on-site inspections will be performed, and if no abnormalities are found, movement restrictions will be lifted. Even after lifting movement restrictions, clinical tests on all livestock will be conducted monthly for six months for continued management.

Additionally, for high-risk cities/counties, professional pest control companies will be utilized to intensively disinfect and control both inside and outside farms. Disinfection management of feed trucks entering farms within quarantine zones and inspections of farm biosecurity compliance will also be strengthened.

Furthermore, biosecurity management for all cattle farms nationwide will be reinforced. Since the policy has shifted to selective culling, restricting cattle movement is considered crucial to prevent the spread of LSD. Therefore, from 3 p.m. on the 13th until midnight on the 26th, restrictions on the movement of cattle in and out of farms nationwide will be implemented. However, movement of cattle for slaughterhouse shipment will be permitted if biosecurity protocols and disinfection conditions are strictly followed.

Kwon Jae-han, Director of the Agricultural Innovation Policy Office at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "With the transition to selective culling, more stringent biosecurity measures are required than before, so farms and local governments must manage biosecurity more meticulously. Farmers should strictly adhere to farm biosecurity measures such as disinfection and pest control, as well as restrictions on cattle movement. Each local government should ensure thorough biosecurity management, surveillance, and testing at farms."

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