S Korea buries 1.4 million pigs alive in foot-and-mouth outbreak

In a move drawing international criticism, South Korea buried 1.4 million pigs alive to stop the spread of foot-and-mouth disease among livestock. Pictures are available here. 

The mass pig burials are part of South Korea's orders to cull close to 2 million pigs, deer, goats and cattle in over 4,000 farms across the country in order to slow the spread of the highly contagious disease. Among pigs and cattle, S Korea has said it has culled about 15% of its livestock. To assist in the destruction of livestock, 68,000 soldiers have been mobilized. In the past 50 days, there were 120 outbreaks of foot and mouth disease across South Korea farms, despite extensive quarantine efforts by the country.

A healthy white-tailed deer / Scott Bauer

Meanwhile, South Korea's farm ministry has ordered the culling and burial of 3.57 million ducks and chickens to contain the spread of avian influenza, after confirming 26 cases of bird flu in the country. The outbreak was first confirmed on December 31 in Cheonan. While foot-and-mouth disease is not transferable to humans, avian flu can (h'v) mutate to a form that could be easily transmitted between humans.

South Korea is claiming North Korean livestock have also been hit by foot-and-mouth disease, but North Korea has not yet confirmed.

In South Korea, the price of pork jumped by 43% after the massive slaughter. Losses are expected to exceed 1.26 billion.

Meanwhile, across the globe, over 700 cattle, sheep, goats and pigs have been culled in Bulgaria after two outbreaks of foot-and-mouth were detected. Yesterday, 200 cattle, sheep and pigs were culled in a southeastern Bulgarian village. Last week, over 500 animals were culled near Bulgaria's Turkish border to prevent the spread of the highly contagious disease. 

In an effort to prevent the spread of the disease to Turkey, Bulargia will rebuild the barb wire fence along its Turkey border.  The fence, originally built during the Cold War, to separate Waraw Pact member Bulgaria from NATO member Turkey, was taken down in 2004.

In a separate incident, nearly 2,000 pigs died in a fire near Melvin in northwest Iowa.