Close up of a pig behind a metal fence

Hong Kong to cull pigs due to African swine fever

Reuters – Hong Kong has ordered a pig cull after confirming its second case of African swine fever in a month.  The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department on Nov. 23 said it planned to cull around 1,900 pigs from one herd on Nov. 25 after the virus was discovered at a pig farm.  The licensed

“Once animals come into the pens and the pen density is high, and then they’re sharing water at the water troughs, we do see an increase in the prevalence of BRD pathogens.” – Dr. Trevor Alexander, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

Quick test could improve livestock treatment decisions

Researchers use water troughs to monitor antimicrobial resistant bacteria

Glacier FarmMedia – Researchers are seeking ways to manage antimicrobial-resistant bacteria on farms, including quicker evaluation of bacteria so treatment can be better targeted. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and University of Saskatchewan veterinary school researchers are studying feedlot water troughs, hoping the water can tell them what sort of anti-microbial resistant bacteria are present. Antimicrobial


The measure, impacting sow shipments from one Manitoba assembly yard, has now been dropped.

U.S. lifts Seneca Valley requirement

Measure required some Manitoba sows to be certified free of the virus before shipping

American authorities have lifted an order that required sows from one Manitoba assembly yard to be certified free of Seneca Valley virus before crossing the border. The measure had been in place since September. The U.S. started requiring a veterinary export certificate for cull sows from the Manitoba site following a rise in Seneca Valley

Manitoba Pork’s director of swine health advises producers to maintain a high level of biosecurity while shipping.

Seneca Valley virus causes headaches for pork sector

Wider application of new export requirement would have halted shipping: Manitoba Pork

A mild virus masquerading as a more serious disease caused frustration in the hog sector this summer, but it could have been much worse, Manitoba producers heard during an early November meeting of the Manitoba Pork Council. Earlier this year, American authorities started requiring a veterinary export certificate for certain cull sows coming out of

The effectiveness of vaccines in chickens is limited because the bird flu virus rapidly evolves.

Comment: Eliminating bird flu in chicken barns

Bird flu could be eradicated by editing the genes of chickens and one study shows how

Recent advances in gene editing technology could potentially help create disease-resistant animals. In a recent study, my colleagues and I showcased the potential of gene editing to protect chickens from the threat of avian influenza. This disease is caused by an ever-evolving virus that gets around numerous biosecurity measures such as good hygiene, restricted bird


Husbandry and veterinary bureau workers in protective suits disinfect a pig farm as a prevention measure for African swine fever in Jinhua, China, in August 2018.

African swine fever plans continue to fall into place

Hog sector sees new compartmentalization rules as another way to plan ahead

Glacier FarmMedia – Another piece has fallen into place in Canada’s two-track approach to African swine fever preparation. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s release of standards and the framework for “compartments” within hog production regions allows farmers and industry to get ahead of any future ASF outbreak. “It’s one of the tools we have to prepare for ASF,”

Manitoba sees first bird flu case of 2023

Manitoba sees first bird flu case of 2023

The virus was confirmed in a commercial poultry operation in the RM of Rhineland

Manitoba’s grace period with highly pathogenic avian influenza is at an end. On Nov. 8, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed a case on a commercial poultry operation in the RM of Rhineland in south-central Manitoba. It is the province’s first domestic case in almost a year. Manitoba’s last brush with HPAI in domesticated birds

“It can sit dormant [on] equipment for years and years until hive stressors and hive conditions are right for it to infect the colony.” – Osee Podolsky, Canadian Honey Council.

American foulbrood vaccine gets Canadian green light

Producers will be able to get the vaccine in spring 2024

Canadian beekeepers are about to have the first vaccine for their stock. “It’s very exciting,” said Canadian Honey Council hive health specialist Osee Podolsky. The new vaccine targets American foulbrood, a spore-producing bacterial disease that gets its name from the unpleasant smell in infected hives. The disease is serious enough that standard industry practice for most symptomatic colonies is


(Shadowinternet/E+/Getty Images)

ASF compartmentalization moves a step forward

Plan not an attempt to download responsibilities, CFIA says

Canada is one step closer to a compartmentalizing regime that hog farmers and the rest of the industry hope protects them against market impacts of African swine fever. Practical application can be developed now that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has released its National Standards and National Framework for the Canadian ASF Compartment Program. From

Conservative agriculture critic John Barlow speaks Nov. 24, 2021 in the House of Commons. (Screengrab from supplied video)

Anti-activist bill back before Commons committee

Bill adds protections for biosecurity, farmers' mental health, Barlow says

A bill to create harsher penalties for unlawful entry onto farms and biosecure zones is back before the House of Commons after a previous iteration died on the order table in 2021. Conservative MP John Barlow brought forward Bill C-275, “an Act to amend the Health of Animals Act (biosecurity on farms),” as a private