Seoul | Reuters — South Korea said on Tuesday there had been an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) at a pig farm in the country’s largest pig-breeding region, prompting authorities to raise the national alert level to “serious”.
WHY IT MATTERS: Past outbreaks of African swine fever have devastated hog barns in Korea, China and other nations.
Some 1,423 pigs were culled due to the outbreak at a farm in Dangjin, South Chungcheong province, and authorities were closely monitoring for further infections at around 140 related farms, South Korea’s Agriculture Ministry said in a statement.
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The ministry had also issued a 48-hour “standstill” order for all pig farms and other livestock facilities in the country to curb the risk of further spread.
It was the sixth isolated outbreak of ASF in South Korea this year, but the first time in South Chungcheong, which is the largest pig farm region in the country and an area that had not seen a previous outbreak, the ministry said.
The ministry ordered all resources available to be mobilized to prevent the spread of ASF.
