On 6 May 2011, MIFAFF announced measures to bolster the nation’s livestock disease controls that had been rocked during the recent foot and mouth disease (FMD) crisis where millions of livestock were culled to stem the spread of the disease.

The measures include: farm registration, minimum space requirements per animal, increased training, stronger FMD Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and cost sharing for vaccination expenses.

The government will help offset the costs associated with these new changes by drawing on the 1.6 trillion won (KRW; US$1.5 billion) set aside as part of the Korea-EU FTA countermeasures.

The most significant change for the local livestock industry will be the farm licensing system, which will be gradually instituted from 2012 through 2015. Registered farms must meet certain location and facility requirements. The larger scale farms will go first, followed by the medium-sized establishments and finally, the smaller enterprises.

By 2015, the plan is to have 90 per cent of beef cattle licensed, while nearly all the dairy cattle, swine and broilers will be covered. Nearly 10 per cent of the country’s beef cattle will not be licensed because of the large number of small operations (fewer than seven head) raising beef. According to the figures cited in the report, roughly 50 per cent of beef cattle farms have fewer than seven animals.

The licensing system also includes a minimum space requirement component, which could become a challenge for smaller operations that have limited capacity to expand barn or pasture size.

Further Reading

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