South Korea has confirmed a foot-and-mouth disease(FMD) case at a local farm for the first time in about two years. 

According to the agriculture ministry’s central headquarters responding to the disease on Friday, the case occurred at a farm with about 180 cows in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province. 

The country last reported FMD cases in May 2023. 

The headquarters upgraded its crisis response level for the disease from the lowest in the four-tier system, “attention,” to the highest, “serious,” for Yeongam and seven nearby cities and counties.
 
The headquarters also sent an initial response team to the affected farm, taking preemptive measures including cordoning off the property, conducting an epidemiological study and emergency culling.

It issued a 48-hour standstill order for all livestock facilities and personnel across the nation to prevent the spread of the disease.