700,000 Cattle and Goats in Gyeonggi Province to Receive Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccination from September

Gyeonggi Province will implement a simultaneous foot-and-mouth disease vaccination campaign for cattle and goats in the province from September 1 to enhance livestock immunity and prevent foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks.

The vaccination targets approximately 470,000 animals including 422,807 cattle from 6,988 farms and 46,778 goats from 1,280 farms. Vaccinations will be conducted from September 1 to 14, with vaccinations for small-scale farms requiring veterinary support extended through September 30.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious livestock disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, and goats. Gyeonggi Province conducts regular vaccinations for cattle and goats in March and September each year to prevent the disease.

In this vaccination campaign, an O+A type mixed vaccine will be administered to simultaneously prevent both Type O and Type A foot-and-mouth disease. Farms raising fewer than 50 cattle or fewer than 300 goats will receive vaccination support from veterinarians and professional goat capture personnel, while larger farms will conduct vaccinations directly.

After completing vaccinations, Gyeonggi Province will conduct antibody testing to verify vaccination compliance and immunity levels by farm. Additionally, the province will strengthen post-vaccination management by using the livestock product traceability system to identify any missed or deferred vaccinations and provide supplementary vaccinations.

Foot-and-mouth disease occurred in Goyang City in February of this year, prompting Gyeonggi Province to implement emergency vaccination and intensive disinfection measures in affected areas and surrounding regions.

Lee Eun-gyeong, Head of the Animal Disease Control and Hygiene Division of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Timely and complete vaccination is the most important prevention method for foot-and-mouth disease, and we ask for vaccinations to be completed within the designated period." She added, "Through this second-half simultaneous vaccination campaign, Gyeonggi Province will strengthen the immunity level of cloven-hoofed livestock in the province and make every effort to prevent recurrence of foot-and-mouth disease."