Gyeongsangbuk-do provincial authorities announced Thursday that a fresh case of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) has been identified at a local cattle breeding facility in Yecheon-gun. The detection occurred during a routine health screening administered just before the official lifting of a nearby restriction zone.

According to regional officials, eight cattle out of a herd of 47 tested positive for the FMD antigen during the pre-clearance monitoring. Notably, the animals displayed no clinical symptoms and exhibited high antibody levels. Following consultations with agricultural experts, local authorities have temporarily suspended the immediate culling of the herd. Instead, the farm is undergoing a strict trial period involving individual pen isolation, rigorous environmental sampling, and daily sanitation protocols.

If ongoing field trials prove that the risk of transmission is negligible, the cattle will eventually be cleared for slaughterhouse shipment. However, health officials emphasized that any sign of escalating risk—such as new antigen detections or rising non-structural protein antibody counts—will trigger an immediate reversal, leading to standard livestock disposal and containment protocols.

This latest discovery brings South Korea's total number of FMD occurrences this year to 16, with Yecheon recording 10 cases, Ganghwa four, and Goyang two. The newly affected property is situated just 2.8 kilometers away from a farm that experienced an outbreak back in September.

In response to the situation, Gyeongsangbuk-do is ramping up preventive operations. Authorities are auditing the vaccination records of all cloven-hoofed animal farms across Yecheon-gun and executing health checks on nearly 150 quarantined or epidemiologically linked facilities. Environmental tracking of transport vehicles associated with these farms is also underway.

Furthermore, the South Korean government has designated November 13 through 19 as a Nationwide Intensive Disinfection Week for Cloven-Hoofed Livestock. During this period, large-scale sanitation operations will target farms, feed mills, and transport fleets. More than 50 specialized quarantine and wide-area disinfection vehicles have been deployed across affected districts and neighboring regions to sanitize roadways and livestock perimeters.

Regional agricultural leaders have urged farmers to remain vigilant, strictly enforce access controls, and maintain active vaccination schedules to curb any potential nationwide spread.

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]