S. Korea rolls out 4-tier biosecurity net at egg farms to head off AI outbreak

South Korea is setting up a four-tier biosecurity net at large laying-hen farms to prevent egg supply disruptions from highly pathogenic avian influenza this winter. The new system adds a mandatory pre-registration step for all workers and vehicles entering farms, upgrading the existing three-tier protocol to four tiers. The move comes as AI detections in wild birds abroad have more than doubled from last year and migratory bird arrivals at domestic sites have jumped sharply.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs convened a special livestock disease prevention review meeting Thursday — ahead of the peak migratory bird season — and urged local governments to strictly enforce the new pre-registration system for personnel and vehicles at large laying-hen farms.

Farms subject to the pre-registration requirement will now go through four successive layers of biosecurity: pre-registration of all incoming workers and vehicles, a hub disinfection facility, a farm access control post, and finally entry to the farm itself. The aim is to reduce the risk of virus introduction by screening people and vehicles before they ever reach the farm gate.

Highly pathogenic AI detections in wild birds overseas have increased more than twofold this year compared with last year. Waterfowl and duck species have also grown significantly at major migratory bird habitats inside the country, raising the likelihood of the virus being carried in.

According to a survey by the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy, waterfowl counts at three of the country's 10 major migratory bird sites — the Han River estuary, Sihwa Lake and Sapgyo Lake — rose 53.1 percent, from 15,606 birds in September last year to 23,893 this year. Duck species at the same sites jumped 189.7 percent over the same period, from 6,448 to 18,678.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has designated Oct. 1 through Feb. 28 next year as a special disease-prevention period and is intensifying biosecurity measures at high-risk areas and farms. Because 31 of the 62 highly pathogenic AI cases recorded last winter — exactly half — occurred at laying-hen farms, the ministry is focusing its management on large laying-hen farms and densely clustered farm complexes.

Relevant agencies, including the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency and the Korea Animal Disease Control Agency, have been asked to carry out wild bird surveillance and disinfection of high-risk areas without interruption. They have also been directed to review their rapid-response systems to ensure they can react immediately to any AI antigen detection or report of a suspected case.

The ministry is also stepping up its response to sporadic foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks, calling for thorough disinfection around affected farms and strict management to ensure no animals are missed during vaccine administration.

Efforts are also under way to block the domestic spread of the SAT1 strain of foot-and-mouth disease detected in China and Mongolia. Vaccination in high-risk areas was completed July 5, and near-risk areas are scheduled to receive additional doses early next year. The ministry plans to stockpile 10 million doses of the SAT1 vaccine by the end of this year and a total of 32 million doses by next year.

"Preventing the outbreak of winter livestock diseases such as highly pathogenic avian influenza requires the government, relevant agencies and farms to all work together," Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Song Mi-ryeong said. "We will do our utmost to closely manage risk factors alongside local governments and relevant agencies, and to swiftly address vulnerabilities on the ground."

She also urged livestock farmers to take ownership of their own biosecurity, asking them to observe basic prevention practices such as disinfection and handwashing.