PHOTO: Japan-China-South Korea trilateral agriculture ministers’ meeting was taken place in Beijing on Nov. 10.
BEIJING, Nov. 11 ― Japan, China and South Korea have agreed to boost border control, as livestock infectious diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and deadly African swine fever have been recorded across the globe in recent years.
“We need to deepen mutual cooperation on many fronts,” Japanese Agriculture Minister Takamori Yoshikawa said at a joint press conference after the trilateral agriculture ministers’ meeting in Beijing that wrapped up on Nov. 10.
A joint statement adopted by the three said: “Given the increasing threat of Transboundary Animal Diseases such as African swine fever, cooperation for effective border control among three countries needs to be strengthened.”
The meeting came at a time when China is struggling to contain the spread of African swine fever and more than hundreds and thousands of pigs have been culled.
The Japanese and South Korean governments are very worried and eager to prevent the disease reaching them.
During the meeting, the three farm ministers also agreed to hold senior official meetings regularly to exchange information about their livestock industries.
The next trilateral agriculture ministers’ meeting will be taken place in South Korea.