The government is pushing for a long-term quarantine measure to reduce the number of outbreaks of legal livestock infectious diseases by half by 2029 and to expand excellent quarantine farms to 500. The quarantine system will shift from being government-led to being led by regional and private sectors, and the classification criteria for livestock infectious diseases will be refined to apply differentiated measures.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs presented the 'Long-term Livestock Quarantine Development Plan' containing these details during a cabinet meeting on national affairs on Dec. 5.
The government aims to reduce the number of major livestock infectious disease outbreaks, including highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) and African swine fever (ASF), from 829 cases last year to 725 this year, 550 in 2027, and 440 in 2029. The number of excellent quarantine farms will increase from 50 last year to 80 this year, and the plan is to expand to 300 by 2027 and 500 by 2029.
The government plans to change the quarantine system from the existing 'government-led' approach to a 'regional and private-led' approach, enhancing the autonomous quarantine capabilities of local governments and farms. Local governments will establish livestock infectious disease prevention and management measures every three years, while basic local governments are required to prepare quarantine plans for farms, livestock facilities, and densely populated areas annually. The government plans to evaluate local government quarantine measures and prioritize support for excellent regions starting this year.
Quarantine measures at the level of livestock farms will also be strengthened. Farms that violate quarantine rules will be required to undergo separate training, and a dedicated training platform for foreign workers will be established. Farms with high levels of quarantine will receive priority in livestock-related business support.
Additionally, the government will create a standard manual to enhance the expertise of disinfection and pest control companies, and starting this year, will introduce an 'excellent consultant certification system.' A new 'livestock waste disposal business' dedicated to the disposal and management of livestock will be established to improve expertise.
The obligation to comply with quarantine rules will be extended not only to livestock farms, but also to operators of livestock facilities, transport vehicle drivers, and farm workers. Farms that refuse quarantine inspections will be subject to sanctions, and ordinary public officials will also have their authority improved to check compliance with quarantine standards at livestock farms.
The government plans to introduce a 'smart quarantine' system utilizing information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance the ability to predict and respond to livestock infectious diseases. Currently, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based risk assessment system is being piloted, and this will be expanded to include ASF starting this year. The goal is to increase the accuracy of risk assessments from 44% currently to 85% by 2029.
The government plans to disclose quarantine information within the National Livestock Quarantine Integrated System (KAHIS) to the private sector and establish a roadmap for transitioning to the next-generation KAHIS to enhance the system. The surveillance system for major diseases, including ASF, porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED), and porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome (PRRS), will be strengthened, and regular inspections will be conducted for 500 pig farms this year.
The government will specify the classification criteria for legal livestock infectious diseases (types 1-3) and apply differentiated quarantine measures accordingly. Temporary movement restrictions, culling, and other quarantine measures will also be applied based on the new classification criteria. Type 1 will require wide-area quarantine measures, Type 2 will implement farm-level quarantine measures, and Type 3 will only involve monitoring.
The government will establish a livestock quarantine research council to strengthen research and development and promote domestic vaccine production. The system for monitoring livestock infectious disease vectors and stockpiling response vaccines will also be established. Following reports of AI infections in mammals transmitted to humans in the United States, domestic testing will be strengthened, and emergency action guidelines (SOP) will be revised to enhance response systems.
Minister Song Mi-ryeong said, “The government will proactively implement these measures to minimize outbreaks and damages of livestock infectious diseases,” and urged, “I ask local governments and the private sector to work towards transitioning to region-private led autonomous quarantine.”