(Songqiuju/iStock/Getty Images)

Vietnam approves commercial use of first African swine fever vaccines

U.S. Agriculture Secretary says farmers may purchase as precaution despite no domestic cases

Hanoi | Reuters – Vietnam has approved the domestic commercial use of two home-grown vaccines against African swine fever, the government said on Monday, making them the world’s first commercial vaccines against the deadly disease. The vaccines include NAVET-ASFVAC, co-developed by Navetco Central Veterinary Medicine and scientists from the United States, and AVAC ASF LIVE

Photo: Thinkstock

Indonesia confirms African swine fever outbreak

Disease killed over 35,000 hogs on farm

Paris | Reuters — Indonesia has reported an outbreak of African swine fever on a farm on the Riau Islands near Singapore, the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Tuesday. The outbreak that killed 35,297 pigs in a herd of 285,034 on a farm located on Bulan island was detected on April 1


A macrophage (immune response) cell in early stages of infection with African swine fever virus, magnified about 1,000x. (Keith Weller photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

MPs get assurance on Canada’s biosecurity preparedness

Canada well prepared for foreign animal diseases, officials say

Officials from several federal agencies have reassured the public about Canada’s animal biosecurity preparedness. Witnesses from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) spoke to MPs’ concerns about livestock diseases at a committee meeting last Wednesday afternoon. Biosecurity preparedness has been a relevant issue

CME June 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hogs limit down on disease chatter

Chicago cattle futures close higher

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures sank by the maximum daily trading limit on Thursday on rumours about a potential outbreak of a fatal pig disease which the U.S. government later said were untrue. Unsubstantiated chatter about a U.S. case of African swine fever swirled in the market, but the U.S.


Greece detects wild ASF case

Reuters – Greece has found African swine fever (ASF) in a wild boar in the north of the country, the World Organization for Animal Health said Jan. 23. The disease was found in a dead wild boar in a forest in the Serres region, which borders Bulgaria and North Macedonia, according to Greek authorities. Greece’s

There are reasons to be optimistic for 2023, but there are also levels of risk and uncertainty that we have not seen before.

Comment: 2023 — The year of risk management

Pork producers will want to look for ways to dampen volatility and risk this year

When we talk about the passing of 2022, the most common response I hear is “good riddance.” It was a year of uncertainty. We saw disruptions to supply chains and reverberations from COVID-19. The war in Ukraine impacted markets and African swine fever jolted traditional supply and demand. Will 2023 be any better? Many of


Central European Boar. In 2020, an outbreak of African Swine Fever that devastated the German pork industry is suspected to have come from wild pigs from Poland.

Animal diseases at centre of tri-nation accord meeting

Co-ordinated full-government approach to outbreaks touted

International cooperation is essential for managing livestock diseases, says Cam Dahl, general manager of Manitoba Pork. Dahl was referring to discussions at the 31st Tri-National Agricultural Accord held in Saltillo, Mexico in October. “There were a lot of discussions around disease and how we work together on potential problems, something that’s absolutely critical,” says Dahl. Manitoba Agriculture Minister

piglets

Funds lined up for programs, planning against swine fever

Details are pending on a two-year funding package for the pork industry

The federal government is putting up an eight-figure funding wall to help prevent African swine fever from ever reaching Canada’s hog farms and to prepare against any breach. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said Aug. 26 the government will provide up to $45.3 million toward a three-pronged effort to boost disease prevention and preparedness: pork sector


File photo of piglets at a hog operation in China. (KuLouKu/iStock/Getty Images)

Federal funding lined up for programs, planning against swine fever

Two-year package to go toward pork industry work

The federal government is putting up an eight-figure funding wall to help prevent African swine fever from ever reaching Canada’s hog farms — and to prepare against any breach. Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said Aug. 26 the government will provide up to $45.3 million toward a three-pronged effort to boost disease prevention and preparedness: pork

File photo of pigs on a farm in Germany. (FooTToo/iStock/Getty Images)

Swine fever outbreak in Germany’s top pork state poses lasting threat

Risk seen for spread to neighbours Netherlands, France

Hamburg | Reuters — The spread of African swine fever to Germany’s most important pig rearing region has dealt a serious blow to the sector with major markets such as China likely to maintain import bans for years to come, analysts said on Monday. The outbreak on a farm in Emsland, Lower Saxony is the