Another case of foot-and-mouth disease(FMD) has been confirmed at a cattle ranch in North Chungcheong Province.

According to the agriculture ministry on Friday, the disease was detected at a ranch in the city of Cheongju.

With the latest case, the number of FMD cases has climbed to eleven since the nation's first FMD case in more than four years was reported last Wednesday, with nine of them in Cheongju and two from Jeungpyeong County.

Authorities sent a response team and epidemiology experts to the farm while restricting the movement of livestock and vehicles and disinfecting the farm.

The cows at the affected farm will be culled as a measure to prevent the spread of the acute infectious viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including pigs and goats.

The ministry also raised the alert level of the animal disease control system by two notches to the highest “serious” on the four-tier scale in nine cities and counties including Cheongju and Jeungpyeong as well as the nearby areas.