▲ A pear orchard devastated by an outbreak of fire blight
"How do you think it feels to bury apple and pear trees that I've grown for six years in the ground?"
A, who runs a 300-square-meter apple, pear, and peach orchard in Ilsandong-gu, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, could not continue speaking, letting out a deep sigh.
On May 27, they noticed that the branches of their apple trees had turned pitch black and reported it to the Agricultural Technology Center.
The test result was a bolt from the blue: the trees had contracted fire blight.
Fire blight is a bacterial infectious disease that mainly affects Rosaceae plants such as apples and pears. Upon infection, the plant's leaves, flowers, branches, stems, and fruits wither and turn reddish-brown or black.
Since its first outbreak in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, in 2015, the disease has occurred consistently. Because there are no vaccines or treatments and it spreads rapidly, management relies mostly on burying the infected trees, earning it the nickname "orchard plague."
For Goyang, which had not previously experienced fire blight, the shock was even greater for A.
A expressed their heartbreak, saying they could not bear to watch more than 40 of their cherished trees being uprooted and buried in the ground in accordance with quarantine procedures.
What makes it even more painful for A is that the damage from fire blight is not just an immediate issue.
Orchards closed due to fire blight cannot replant fruit trees until 18 months have passed.
Considering that it takes about six years from planting saplings to harvesting, their farming livelihood is effectively blocked for nearly eight years.
B, who has been farming apples for 16 years in Miwon-myeon, Sangdang-gu, Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, also suffered damage from fire blight for the first time this year.
One of the 13 orchards they operate, measuring 2,640 square meters, was completely buried.
"I thought it might cross over to our side since fire blight occurs every year in neighboring Goesan County, but experiencing it firsthand leaves me feeling helpless," B lamented. "I am anxious every day, worrying whether the bacteria has already spread to neighboring orchards."
B added, "If there are trees where the bacteria is dormant, I am even more worried about next year and the future, so I cannot let my guard down."
Farmers also complain that fire blight has changed the atmosphere of their neighborhoods.
On June 16, a heavy silence hung around an apple orchard in Yesan County, South Chungcheong Province, following quarantine operations.
After the diagnosis was confirmed, excavators had come in to uproot the infected trees, and the site where workers in protective suits once moved around was left empty, revealing only bare soil.
Fearing a potential spread, neighboring farmers frequently checked the condition of their branches and leaves while keeping conversations with neighbors to a minimum.
According to farmers, there is also significant concern over secondary damage, such as the stigma of being an affected farm, which goes beyond the simple loss of fruit trees.
Once a farm is known to have an outbreak, it becomes the focus of negative attention from the community, which can also adversely affect transactions for other agricultural products.
An official from Yesan County said, "Since Yesan is a major apple-producing region, the issue of fire blight is directly linked to farmers' livelihoods. Farmers are extremely sensitive, to the point where they are cautious even during phone calls."
According to agricultural authorities today (June 17), since the year's first outbreak of fire blight was confirmed at an apple farm in Chungju on May 14, a cumulative damage of 44.62 hectares has been recorded across 106 farms nationwide as of June 15.
By region, North Chungcheong Province had the most cases with 46 locations (18.57 hectares), followed by Gyeonggi Province with 24 locations (11.04 hectares), South Chungcheong Province with 19 locations (9.6 hectares), North Jeolla Province with 8 locations (2.76 hectares), Gangwon Province with 6 locations (2.21 hectares), and Sejong with 3 locations (0.44 hectares).
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has been strengthening its response system after raising the fire blight crisis level to "Warning" (indicating multiple outbreaks in existing areas or occurrences in new provinces and cities) on May 5.
To this end, the ministry has set up situation rooms at the Rural Development Administration and municipal and county agricultural technology centers to strengthen monitoring and quarantine efforts, while also monitoring the supply and demand trends of apples and pears.
In addition, a cooperative system among related organizations is being established and operated to ensure prompt reporting, precise diagnosis, and emergency quarantine when suspected symptoms are detected.
An official from the agricultural authorities urged, "To prevent the spread of fire blight, active reporting by farmers is crucial if suspected symptoms appear. Furthermore, please thoroughly disinfect tools during farm work and refrain from entering other orchards as much as possible."
Reports regarding fire blight can be made to the main hotline (☎ 1833-8572) or related organizations, including municipal and county agricultural technology centers.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.