It proved they were infected. Otherwise, how come a healthy cattle could die after it skipped just a day s meal, said Kim Sung-hun, an official of the association s branch in Kyongju. He said they would fight to the end to block them from being supplied to the nation. They should be distributed after quarantined for more days. The authorities were in haste, said Kim Young-won, an official of the cattle association in Seoul.
Farmers feel uneasy about the imported cattle.
Witnesses said the farmers punctured tyres of the six trucks carrying cattle to trap them at the entrance of the village. Police were kept on alert but no clashes were reported. The agricultural ministry had said on Tuesday eight of the 663 cattle from Australia were infected with blue tongue and would conduct a second round of tests on the remaining 655 cattle, which tested negative in a previous round of tests. The disease reduces oxygen supply to the tongue, causing it to swell and turn bluish, and triggering difficulty in breathing. The cattle are the first imported since Seoul introduced rules allowing imported cattle to be classified as domestic cattle if raised in Korea for more than six months.