One of the greatest tools the pork industry can utilize in 2025 is perspective. This past year brought many important topics to the forefront of pork industry headlines from porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome to H5N1 to depopulation. Here are three stories that generated a buzz in 2024 that warrant a re-read.
1. It’s Time to Talk About Depopulation in the U.S. Swine Industry
When reports of African swine fever outbreaks in China hit the news in 2018, the U.S. pork industry went right to work to boost preparedness and prevention efforts. Industry strides and advancements in these areas were shouted across the news headlines; meanwhile, work taking place on the critically important aspects of depopulation and mortality management were less talked about.
If the worst-case scenario happens and animals need to be depopulated in an effort to contain and eradicate the disease, how would the pork industry respond?
“No one is excited about the process or idea of depopulating, whether it’s one or multiple animals. I would say it’s quite the contrary,” says Jeremy Seiger, agriculture department manager at Envirotech Engineering. “However, it is an unfortunate likelihood that a catastrophic event of this nature will eventually occur.”
Here’s a look at the difficult discussion around depopulation.
2. We Can’t Ignore the Real Costs of PRRS Any Longer
Why is the pork industry living with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS)? Although PRRS incidences look lower so far this year, experts say it’s not something to get excited about yet.
“This year is a bit unique,” says Pipestone’s Cara Haden, DVM. “Instead of living with PRRS, many farms have gone ahead and depopulated and repopulated instead of living with and doing a PRRS elimination. The truth is PRRS is not new, and it is not going to go away on its own.”
This devastating virus is making it challenging for the U.S. to claim to be the “absolute best in the world,” Haden says. For example, Denmark producers 36.8 pigs per sow per year, while the U.S. is at 27.35. When up to 40% of U.S. pig farms break with PRRS every year, that has a real impact on numbers, Haden says.
In addition, the U.S. has the worst finishing mortality of any of the major swine producing companies.
“We need to take that very seriously. Being dead last in the world for finishing mortality is not something that the United States swine industry should be proud of,” Haden adds. “The U.S. has a lot of work to do when it comes to PRRS. We have not made a lot of progress in the last 12 years, things have actually gotten worse from a PRRS standpoint.”
3. Influenza Expert Gets Real About the H5N1 Risk to Your Swine Herd
Is influenza a greater concern to pigs and people in light of the Oct. 30 USDA announcement that H5N1 was detected for the first time ever in a pig from a backyard Oregon farm? If so, how?
Andrew Bowman, DVM, one of the country’s top swine influenza experts, joined The PORK Podcast to answer that question and more during a special report on H5N1. A professor in the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine at The Ohio State University, he is well known for his expertise in swine production medicine, veterinary public health and epidemiology.
“Across the swine industry, we routinely deal with influenza, so we’re pretty well versed in flu,” Bowman says. “But this adds a whole other character to the scene that we really don’t want and reassorting with the flu viruses we already have.”
Bowman tackles the tough questions here.
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