South Chungcheong Province wins national livestock safety award for 2nd consecutive year

South Chungcheong Province's sustained efforts to manage livestock product safety across the entire chain — from production through retail — have earned national recognition for the second year running.

The provincial government announced Thursday that it had been named the top-performing institution in the country in the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's "2026 Livestock Product Safety Management Excellence Evaluation," marking its second consecutive year atop the national rankings.

The evaluation, which covered all 16 cities and provinces nationwide, assessed four areas: safety management at each stage of livestock production and retail distribution, the operation of the honorary livestock hygiene inspector regime, prevention and control of illegal livestock products, and outstanding case studies in livestock safety management.

The province has worked to preempt safety risks by strengthening hygiene guidance and inspections at slaughterhouses and livestock product processing and distribution businesses, while conducting ongoing sanitation checks and sample testing at livestock-handling establishments.

It also intensified crackdowns on the distribution of illegal and substandard livestock products and carried out joint public-private monitoring activities with honorary livestock hygiene inspectors, raising hygiene awareness among business operators and working to create a safer retail environment for livestock products.

"Being named the top institution in the country two years in a row is a valuable achievement made possible through the combined efforts of the province, its cities and counties, and related agencies including the provincial animal health laboratory," said Lee Seung-han, director of the province's agriculture and livestock bureau. "We will continue to strengthen hygiene management and safety testing across livestock production and distribution to build a supply environment where residents can consume livestock products with confidence."