Seoul (CNN) -- A South Korean farmer for 15 years, Sa Taek-hwan, lost his livelihood overnight.
Despite continual disinfecting efforts, he says his 169 cattle fell victim to foot-and-mouth disease last year, and like so many other farmers across the country, he had to have them killed. Now he lives on an empty farm with his wife.
Sa's cows lie in a burial site not far from his home, but he thinks he has it easier than others. "Some have them buried right on their farm," he says. Sa is grateful he doesn't have to face that scene every day.
"These cows were like my family. Do you think anyone would want to come here and look at them buried like this?" the farmer says as he stands in front of the mass grave. "It makes me really sad".
Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly communicable disease that affects cattle, swine, sheep, goats, and other animals. South Korea has been battling its largest-ever outbreak of the disease since November.
The government has been vaccinating livestock across the country and more than 3 million animals have been culled in an effort to halt the spread of the disease. But concerns remain. A largely disheartened population of farmers is struggling to overcome their losses and they remain uncertain about the future.
Sa is lost without his cattle. Liquor bottles are piled up in one corner of the farm. "There's nothing else to do," Sa says. CNN
