09 October 2026
South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), in coordination with major provincial governments, has finalized preparations to implement its preventive winter shutdown program for duck farms during the 2026/2027 season. The initiative aims to interrupt avian influenza transmission ahead of the peak arrival of migratory waterfowl from Siberia and northern Asia.
The duck sector is widely regarded as a critical vulnerability in efforts to prevent avian influenza transmission. Unlike broiler and layer chickens, ducks infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses may exhibit milder or delayed clinical signs while shedding substantial amounts of virus into the environment, making duck farms potential sources of undetected infection. Rather than waiting for outbreaks to occur and then resorting to mass culling, South Korea’s strategy adopts a preventive approach by temporarily removing ducks from designated high-risk areas.
The program runs for approximately five months, from late October or early November through the end of March of the following year, covering the main period during which migratory birds remain on the Korean Peninsula. Participating farms will stop receiving new ducklings once their final pre-shutdown production cycles are completed. During the shutdown period, facilities undergo extensive cleaning and disinfection, while production is suspended entirely.
Veterinary authorities select participating farms based on a comprehensive risk assessment that considers the following factors:
- Proximity to Water Bodies: Farms located within a 3-kilometer radius of lakes, rivers, lagoons, and nature reserves that serve as habitats or stopover sites for migratory birds.
- Outbreak History: Farms that have experienced HPAI outbreaks within the previous three to five years.
- Regional Farm Density: Areas with high concentrations of commercial poultry operations, where the movement of vehicles and equipment may increase the risk of indirect transmission between farms.
- Infrastructure Quality: Older facilities with inadequate biosecurity measures, which may be prioritized for shutdown.
Overall, the program temporarily suspends production at approximately 30% of duck farms within designated high-risk areas.
To ensure compliance and mitigate financial losses for producers, compensation is jointly funded by the central government and local authorities, with each covering 50% of the cost. Payments are calculated based on the estimated operating profit that farms would otherwise have earned during the shutdown period, taking into account factors such as barn floor area, historical stocking capacity, and the number of production cycles forgone.
Since the initiative was first introduced in 2017, secondary HPAI outbreaks in layer and broiler facilities have reportedly declined substantially. However, the recurring winter shutdowns also reduce the seasonal supply of domestic duck meat and increase wholesale prices, prompting retailers and poultry integrators to rely on frozen meat stocks accumulated during the spring and summer months.
