(Chuncheon=Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Jae-hyun = Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province is stepping up high-intensity preventive measures against socially disastrous animal infectious diseases.
The province announced on the 9th that it will designate and operate the period until the end of February next year as the 'Special Preventive Measures Period for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (AI) and Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD)'.
During this period, the province will make all-out efforts to protect the lives and property of its citizens by blocking the inflow and spread of animal infectious diseases through preemptive and thorough preventive measures.
To prevent the inflow of highly pathogenic AI into farms, 10 high-risk migratory bird arrival areas have been designated as controlled areas for livestock vehicles.
Additionally, 34 disinfection vehicles from cities, counties, and agricultural cooperatives will conduct intensive disinfection on the surrounding roads and access routes to poultry farms in these areas.
Moreover, the province will regularly check the implementation status of 11 administrative orders and 7 preventive measures and promote multifaceted preventive measures to block the spread of infectious diseases between farms.
Starting this year, the province will reduce the compensation reduction for 'excellent preventive' laying farms that meet the preventive standards and allow farmers to have more options to exclude culling.
As one of the preventive measures for foot-and-mouth disease, the vaccination period has been advanced from October to September.
To prevent vaccination omissions, antibody tests will be strengthened for cattle under 12 months of age.
In the event of an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, differential culling standards will be applied to maximize the preventive effect.
Furthermore, to minimize the damage to farmers, the first outbreak farm in each city and county will be subject to total culling of all cattle, while additional outbreak farms will selectively cull only the positive individuals.
Seok Sung-gyun, Director of the Provincial Agricultural Policy Bureau, said, "The winter season carries a high risk of virus inflow into farms through migratory birds, and the low temperatures extend the survival period of the virus," and called for active cooperation as the province is implementing high-intensity preventive measures considering these characteristics.
jlee@yna.co.kr