Gwangju Metropolitan City has initiated a large-scale vaccination campaign against foot-and-mouth disease for approximately 730,000 cattle and goats in the region.
On September 5, Gwangju officials announced that the vaccination will be conducted until the 30th, considering the decline in antibody levels from the foot-and-mouth vaccine administered in March.
The vaccination schedule will be staggered based on farm size. Small farms with fewer than 50 cattle and 300 goats will receive vaccinations from September 1 to 30, while larger farms with 50 or more cattle and 300 or more goats will have a concentrated vaccination period from September 15 to 30.
To increase vaccination rates, the city will invest an additional 2 billion won. Support will be provided for farms with fewer than 100 cattle and 300 goats, and 215 personnel, including veterinarians and specialized capture teams, will be deployed across 116 support teams.
Post-vaccination management will also be strengthened. Starting in October, four weeks after vaccination, random antibody tests will be conducted on selected farms to verify actual vaccination status and immune response.
The antibody positivity standards are set at 80% for cattle, 60% for goats and breeding pigs, and 30% for fattening pigs.
Farms that fail to meet these standards will face fines ranging from 5 million won for the first violation to 10 million won for three or more violations. These farms will undergo additional testing every four weeks until antibody levels improve following booster vaccinations.
Compensation will be provided for any adverse effects related to the vaccination. If cases of stillbirth or death occur within two weeks post-vaccination, compensation of 80% of the market price will be granted following veterinary confirmation.
Lee Young-nam, head of the Animal Health Division in Gwangju, emphasized, “Foot-and-mouth disease has occurred this year in Incheon, Gyeonggi, and North Gyeongsang provinces. If vaccinations are neglected, outbreaks can happen at any time, so it is crucial to follow the vaccination program and adhere to basic biosecurity measures, such as disinfecting when entering farms.”
Since the first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in March of last year, a total of 19 cases have been confirmed in the Gwangju area by April. The city plans to manage the immunity levels of farms through vaccinations and antibody tests, focusing on preventing future outbreaks.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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