Korea has recently been declared free from mad cow disease, foot and mouth disease (FMD) and two other animal diseases.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs announced on May 28 that a resolution to admit Korea’s free status from FMD, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as "mad cow disease," peste des petits ruminants (PPR) and Africa Horse Sickness (AHS), was passed at the 82nd general meeting of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), which took place in Paris in late May.

The gathering was attended by about 500 participants, including high-ranking officials from 158 countries and representatives of international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).




BSE is a second grade animal disease which paralyzes the central nervous system and affects both cattle and humans. Since a BSE outbreak in the U.K. in 1996, Korea has put an embargo on importing beef and bovine-related agricultural produce from the U.K. and has prohibited animal protein-based feeding to cows since 2008. Korea was classified as a country of “controlled risk” in 2010, which was upgraded to “negligible risk” in 2014.

The total number of countries classified as “negligible risk” has now increased to 37, thanks to the latest OIE general meeting, which added 11 countries, including Korea and China, to the list of the existing 26 countries.

In the case of FMD, Korea carried out special preventive measures over two years, since the FMD outbreak in 2011. In order to prevent a recurrence of the disease, the country also maintained a systemic inspection and management system, including vaccinations in cooperation with local farms.

The other two diseases from which Korea has been declared free -- PPR and AFC -- are first grade animal diseases that can be found in cattle, horses or donkeys in African or some Asian regions, both of which have never been found in Korea.

The agriculture ministry valued the OIE’s decision by saying, “It will raise the international recognition of Korea’s epidemic preventive measures and management of animal diseases.”

By Yoon Sojung
Korea.net Staff Writer
arete@korea.kr