Osan City Conducts Fourth Round of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccination
The city moved up the vaccination schedule from its originally planned January 2012 date due to concerns about livestock damage such as reduced milk production and miscarriage caused by stress when vaccinations are administered during the harshest winter period.
The foot-and-mouth disease prevention vaccination is being administered to 1,300 animals mandatory for vaccination including all cattle such as Korean beef cattle, beef cattle, and dairy cattle, as well as pigs and goats. Deer are subject to voluntary vaccination. For cattle, which are mandatory vaccination targets, vaccination teams comprised of veterinarians and government officials will be deployed to support the vaccination.
Foot-and-mouth disease vaccinations are conducted as mass vaccination programs at 6-7 month intervals according to the vaccination program schedule, while calves, pigs (breeding sows and piglets), young goats, and young deer receive regular vaccinations at two months of age and 3-4 weeks before delivery.
Livestock subject to mandatory foot-and-mouth disease vaccination must carry a 'vaccination confirmation certificate' when shipped to livestock markets or slaughterhouses. Failure to comply will result in a fine of up to 5 million won in accordance with the Livestock Infectious Disease Prevention Act.
Additionally, monitoring tests will be conducted using blood serum for bovine brucellosis testing or on livestock shipped to slaughterhouses to verify whether farms have implemented vaccinations. For farms where foot-and-mouth disease occurs, compensation for culled livestock will be paid at only 80% of the livestock market price.