As more cases of lumpy skin disease (LSD) are found in cattle in Gyeonggi and Chungcheong Provinces in South Korea, the Korean government said on Monday that it would “provide full compensation to affected livestock farmers.” The government and the ruling party are reportedly working on emergency support measures.

“The total number of confirmed LSD cases has now risen to 14, with 638 cows culled,” Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Chung Hwang-keun said during an audit session at the National Assembly. “The number of confirmed cases is expected to rise further.”

The country reported the first LSD case in South Chungcheong Province on Friday, with a total of 10 cases reported in Gyeonggi and South Chungcheong Provinces over the following three days and four more cases confirmed on Monday.

The newly confirmed cases on Monday were reported in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, Seosan and Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province and Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province. Until the previous day, confirmed cases had only been reported in farms located in Gyeonggi and South Chungcheong provinces, but a case was confirmed in North Chungcheong Province for the first time on Monday.

In response to a question from Representative Choi Chun-sik of the People Power Party about the potential reduction of compensation, the agriculture minister said that “LSD is different from foot-and-mouth disease and that the government will not hold farmers responsible but will provide full compensation for the culling.”

Under the current regulations, compensation for culling could be reduced if a farmer is found to be responsible for inadequate disease control. The government’s position is that farmers cannot be held responsible as LSD is a newly emerging disease in the country and there was no vaccination requirement prior to the outbreak.

Regarding the scope of culling, Chung said, “If we don’t cull farm by farm, the disease can spread to the surrounding areas and the distribution network,” adding, “We are in the process of administering vaccines, and it takes about three weeks to form antibodies. After that, we will proceed with culling only the animals with symptoms.”

According to sources from the government and the political circle, the government and the ruling party are working on measures to support affected farms. The agriculture ministry will draft a support plan in consultation with the ruling party and discuss it with the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

LSD is a highly infectious viral disease transmitted by blood-feeding insects, including mosquitoes. Infected animals exhibit symptoms such as high fever and skin nodules (lumps), which lead to a significant fall in milk production, miscarriages, and infertility issues. The mortality rate is less than 10 percent, and the disease is not transmissible to humans.

By Lee Hee-jo and Yoon Yeon-hae

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