In June 2012, the Government of South Korea announced a total ban on inclusion of non-therapeutic antibiotics in feed for livestock. The action by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MFAFF) in S. Korea corresponds to the EU ban on antibiotic growth promoters issued in January 2006. The EU directive followed similar restrictions imposed by Nordic countries between 1986 and 1998 and also by Switzerland in 1999.