After, Japan and South Korea witnessed three outbreaks of food-and-mouth disease, the UN food agency called for stepped-up surveillance for the same, this Wednesday.

The Chief Veterinary officer of the Food and Agriculture Organization said, "In the past nine years, incursions into officially FMD-free countries... have been extremely rare, so to have three such events in four months is a serious cause for concern".

Namibia Press Agency reported that in the past nine years, incursions into officially FMD-free countries are very unusual and these events are a serious cause for concern.

The meticulous biosecurity measures in place in the two countries were pointed to a new, large-scale weight of infection in source areas, most likely in the Far East, quoted Juan Lubroth.

The 2001 FMD outbreak led to a loss of billions of dollars to agriculture, livestock trade and tourism in the United Kingdom alone.

In its initial response to the outbreak, Japan had had to butcher 385 animals and the Republic of Korea has destroyed more than 3 500 animals, mainly pigs, in its recent outbreaks.

The routes taken by the virus have not been identified, but according to the experts, the infection occurred through food waste, with pigs eating infected meat waste.