National movement restrict measure for ASF lifted outside outbreak areas 

Posted on : 2019-09-20 16:40 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Prices of pork expected to stabilize as supplies normalize
Quarantine workers restrict access to a pig farm in Yeoncheon County
Quarantine workers restrict access to a pig farm in Yeoncheon County

A nationwide movement restriction measure was lifted on Sept. 19, 48 hours after the first case of African swine fever (ASF) in South Korea was confirmed. While no additional confirmed or suspected cases were found outside of two farms in Paju and Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, the failure to yet determine the infection pathway has farmers fearful. The government is now proceeding with virus testing on bodies of water originating in North Korea and wild boars near the farms where the virus was found.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) announced that a temporary order restricting movement at around 6,300 pig farms nationwide had been lifted as of 6:30 am on Sept. 19. A movement restriction will remain in place for one week for Paju and Yeoncheon, where ASF cases have been found. Restrictions on vehicle and foot traffic are also to be continued with the stationing of control posts at every entrance to 437 pig farms (over 700,000 animals total) in those two communities and four other border cities and counties designated as “focused administration zones.” Quicklime is being spread at farm entrances and on major roads, while soldiers and disease prevention staff are performing sterilization procedures. Transport of swine outside the regions is prohibited for a three-week period, with slaughtering and shipping only allowed through four designated slaughterhouses. Restrictions on pen access will remain in place over the same period for all individuals except those visiting for disease treatment purposes.

With the lifting of the movement restriction order, MAFRA predicted that swine transactions on the wholesale market would return to normal as of that afternoon, allowing pork prices to regain a stable footing thanks to supplies that had previously gone unshipped due to the temporary halt on movement. No major fluctuation was observed for consumer prices after the first cases were identified. Wholesale prices rose by 32.6% and 40.8% on Sept. 17 and 18, respectively, but consumer prices for pork belly were found to have increased only slightly over the same period; a survey of 45 traditional markets and supermarkets in 19 cities and provinces nationwide showed the average price for 100 grams rising from 2,013 won (US$1.69) to 2,029 won (US$1.71) and again to 2,044 won (US$1.72).

“The supermarkets and other stores have independently acquired enough volume for one to two weeks, so it isn’t having an impact on consumer prices,” MAFRA observed.

The problem has been an inability to determine the cause of the cases and the pathway behind the virus’s transmission. Fears of a spread are growing after confirmation that some of the vehicles visiting the two farms (19 vehicles in the Paju case, 13 in the Yeoncheon case) also visited the southern part of South Korea, including North Gyeongsang Province and South Jeolla Province. MAFRA said on Sept. 19 that a total of 507 farms and facilities were “epidemiologically connected” to the farms where the cases occurred – meaning that the vehicles either visited during the virus’s incubation period or used the same feed or slaughterhouses. In addition to neighboring areas in Gyeonggi and Gangwon Province, connected farms and facilities were also found farther south in South Chungcheong Province (13), South Jeolla Province (four), and North Gyeongsang Province (three).

A MAFRA official explained, “We’re managing the situation thoroughly with a 21-day livestock movement restriction on farms with a vehicle-based epidemiological connection, telephone-based monitoring, sterilization, and careful testing.” Official said it could take up to six months for final results from the epidemiological study on the infection pathway. A MAFRA official said, “We have to examine everything from wild boar activity to waste feed and individual people’s movements, and that will take time.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment (MOE) is conducting virus testing on nearby bodies of water originating in North Korea, noting that boar activity may have occurred near the Yeoncheon farm, though not the Paju one.

“With the cooperation of the Ministry of National Defense, we will be taking samples to test for the virus in bodies of water originating in North Korea near the two affected farms, including the Imjin and Hantan Rivers and the Han River estuary,” MOE said on Sept. 19. While the virus’s detection rate in river and stream water is low, confirming its presence will be key. MOE also reported an investigation as showing that unlike the Paju farm, the Yeoncheon farm where the second cases were confirmed was a suitable environment for wild boars to live. The ministry plans to set up traps around the Yeoncheon farm to test for infection in boars within the area.

By Park Ki-yong, staff reporter

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