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The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has established the “Third National Antibiotic Resistance Management Plan (2026-2030). This government-wide plan, established every five years, includes policy goals and measures to prevent the spread of resistant bacteria and strengthen the surveillance system. It consists of four core areas and 13 priority tasks across human and non-human settings. Tasks involving livestock include:
1. Optimizing antibiotic use
The government will establish a system to ensure that all antibiotics are prescribed by veterinarians and aquatic disease management specialists, and improve the veterinary prescription management system to calculate antibiotic usage.
A new indicator will be introduced to enable comparison with international standards regarding antibiotic sales in livestock. In addition to the indicator (mg/PCU) that reflects the number of livestock raised and slaughtered, a sales indicator (mg/Animal Biomass) reflecting the live weight before slaughter will be introduced to increase the accuracy of estimated usage.
The safety and efficacy of existing approved animal antibiotics will be re-evaluated in line with the latest scientific standards.
2. Prevention of the emergence of resistant bacteria
The plan aims to reduce farms' dependence on antibiotics by providing guidelines for vaccine use and expanding support for vaccine development. Efforts are being made to provide support to modernize livestock facilities, thus improving farms' quarantine capabilities.
3. Strategic information and innovation
The government will monitor and analyze data from both human and non-human fields and provide the data annually.
4. Governance and awareness improvement
The government will participate in international global antimicrobial resistance surveillance and share national data with organizations such as WOAH. It will promote public awareness campaigns and strengthen professional training for stakeholders, including doctors, veterinarians, and those in the agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and food industries.
February 25, 2026/ Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs/ South Korea.
https://www.mafra.go.kr
