Newcastle Disease-Infected Chickens Illegally Imported into Gyeonggi Province, Culled

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 25th that it has detected approximately 5,600 chickens infected with Newcastle disease, a legally designated Class I infectious livestock disease, being illegally brought into a poultry slaughterhouse within the province from a poultry farm in Cheonan that had been placed under movement restrictions due to a highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) outbreak in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, and has culled all of them.

The poultry farm in Cheonan is located within a 10-kilometer radius boundary zone from the duck farm in Tangjeong-myeon, Asan, South Chungcheong Province where AI was detected, and the chickens raised there experienced mass deaths recently, prompting the farm to be placed under poultry movement restrictions and intensive management starting from the 21st. The incident has drawn criticism for revealing loopholes in the quarantine management system.

On the 23rd at around 1 a.m., the province traced the shipment route of approximately 5,600 chickens that had arrived at Poultry Slaughterhouse A in Bongdam-eup, Hwaseong for processing, and confirmed that they were sent from a farm operated by Park Mo (48) in Pungsae-myeon, Cheonan, which is designated as a poultry movement restriction zone.

Moreover, these chickens were brought into Slaughterhouse A without the required 'shipment approval certificate,' which mandates that all poultry and eggs within the AI boundary zone must undergo clinical inspection and supervision of shipment vehicles before issuance.

To block AI transmission, the province conducted a detailed inspection of the illegally imported chickens and preliminarily confirmed Newcastle disease infection, then notified the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Cheonan City authorities before culling all 5,600 chickens on the afternoon of the 23rd.

The farm operated by Park in Cheonan that raised and shipped these chickens experienced the deaths of approximately 10,000 chickens on the 21st and 22nd that showed respiratory and neurological symptoms. The National Institute of Veterinary Science's detailed inspection confirmed on the 24th that the cause of death was Newcastle disease in chickens.

A Gyeonggi Province official stated, "We are strengthening quarantine and surveillance activities targeting farms within our jurisdiction, including detecting cases of poultry imports from AI movement restriction zones and culling them."