#17,792
Late yesterday we saw the recall notice for a local brand of cat feed (see Korea: Cat Food Recall Over H5N1 Contamination Concerns) discovered in one of animal shelters where cats had recently died of H5N1 infection.
At the time, there was no official notice published (although, admittedly, it was after midnight). As expected, with the new day South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture (MAFRA) has now published a statement.
First the translated statement, after which I'll return with more.
(translated)
Detection of H5 type antigen in feed during epidemiological investigation of feline highly pathogenic avian influenza 2023.08.02 00:30:00 Avian Influenza Prevention Division, Quarantine Policy Bureau
On August 2 , the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs ( Minister Jeong Hwang- geun , hereinafter the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs ) tested avian influenza (H5 type ) in companion animal food ( product manufactured on July 5 ) collected from a facility that generated highly pathogenic avian influenza in cats located in Gwanak-gu, Seoul* The antigen was identified ** .
* As part of an epidemiological investigation of highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in the Agriculture, Forestry and Livestock Quarantine Headquarters and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, companion animal feeds stored in outbreak facilities were inspected.
** Currently, an additional detailed examination is underway , and it is expected that it will take about 2 to 3 days to determine whether it is highly pathogenic
The companion animal food manufacturer is ' Nature's Row ' located in Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do , and it was found that they manufactured pet food without properly implementing the process for sterilization and sterilization from May 25 , 2023 . Accordingly , Gyeonggi-do immediately issued an order to stop manufacturing , selling , and supplying, and recalling and discarding the feed manufacturer's products .
Products subject to collection / disposal are ' Balanced Duck ' and ' Balanced Chicken ' manufactured by Tosil Tosil Restaurant ( Brand) between May 25 , 2023 and August 1 , 2023 , when the process for sterilization and sterilization was not performed properly. There are 2 products .* ( Attachment 1) Product details of recall and disposal measures
The competent local government or the corresponding company plans to provide information on recall and disposal to consumers who have purchase history information (delivery history, etc.) of the product ( ~ 8.3 . ) , but the purchaser of the product directly contacts the competent local government You can not get your back .
* Manufacturer’s representative number ( website ): 070-7610-4554(https://smartstore.naver.com/tosiltosilrestaurant) ** ( Attachment 2) Contact information by province ( feed management )
The competent local government or the relevant company will directly collect the products subject to recall and disposal . Separate storage is recommended .
In order to prevent similar cases , the Ministry of Agriculture , Food and Rural Affairs plans to conduct a full investigation into the sterilization and sterilization process compliance of pet food manufacturers that use chicken and duck meat .
In addition , we plan to conduct a follow-up investigation of the raw materials supplied to the feed manufacturer , and implement quarantine measures such as disinfection and inspection accordingly .
If the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs shows suspected symptoms of highly pathogenic avian influenza, such as fever , anorexia , respiratory symptoms ( difficulty breathing , dry cough, etc. ) in a cat that is or has been feeding the companion animal food , immediately call the livestock quarantine agency (1588-4060, 1588- 9060) to report it .
Attachment 1. Recall and Disposal Measures Product Details2. Contact information by province ( in charge of feed )
(Continue . . . )
It is worth mentioning that we first learned of this outbreak only 8 days ago (July 25th), and already a potential source has been identified, and immediate and deliberate steps have been taken to confirm the source and limit the damage.
Along the way the South Korean CDC and MAFRA (along with the Seoul Metro government) have been very communicative (see here, here, here, and here) on their investigation. And the cat feed manufacturer (Tosil Tosil Restaurant) continues to provide timely updates on their website.
By contrast, we've been following a different outbreak of H5N1 in cats in Poland for the past 6 weeks, and not only have updates been infrequent from Polish Animal Health Authorities (last update 16 days ago . . . and counting), thus far no source has been identified.
After a number of `indoor only' cats were infected, in early July Virologists Krzysztof Pyrć, Maciej Grzybek & Łukasz Rąbalski posted a joint statement on Twitter urging an investigation into the possibility that H5N1 may have entered the food chain.
An idea that was quickly met with damage control by Poland's MOA (see Poland : Ministry of Agriculture Statement On H5N1 & Food Safety), who stated:
– The information given in the press article that the bird flu virus is found in raw poultry meat is absolutely unproven. No research confirms this. These are overinterpretations and manipulations made by the editors of Gazeta Wyborcza, the deputy minister firmly stated.
Different outbreaks, in different environments, making direct comparisons between the two investigations difficult to fairly make.
But given the importance, it is disappointing how little we've heard out of Poland after more than 6 weeks.
