Latest News From Biosecurity

It’s no surprise pork products made the U.S. CBP's Top 10 Agriculture Seizures of 2021 list more than once. Protecting animal ag is a high priority, especially as deadly swine viruses like ASF move closer to the U.S.

Hong Kong reported an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in a wild boar in the northern part of the territory, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) said on Monday.

APHIS is allowing biosecure facilities that handle regulated garbage to hold it in tightly sealed, leak-proof containers for up to 120 hours. Prior to that, garbage had to be processed within 72 hours. 

Italy on Thursday banned hunting and several other outdoor activities in two northern regions affected by a recent outbreak of African swine fever, a deadly hog disease.

Federal agents seized and destroyed more than 1,900 pounds of prohibited pork, poultry and ruminant products from New York City-area retailers in the past three months.

What's being done to grow understanding of Porcine sapelovirus, an emerging virus isolated in a diagnostic specimen from a U.S. swine farm?

Two more countries reported outbreaks of the deadly African swine fever (ASF) virus to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) this week.

Thailand denied accusations it has covered up an outbreak of African swine fever, after a university lab test conducted last month indicated a pet pig had died from the disease.

Thailand's livestock authorities vowed to investigate the death of a pet pig after a university lab test indicated it died from African swine fever, the first such such report in the country.

A case of African swine fever (ASF) was detected in a wild boar in Italy, authorities said on Friday.

USDA researchers are looking at innovations and smart technology to develop better traps to help control feral swine populations.

For as long as there have been animals, there has been Salmonella. It’s an evolving problem. Here's why industry leaders are tuning into USDA’s effort to reduce Salmonella illnesses associated with poultry products.

The U.S. swine industry wasn’t prepared for porcine epidemic diarrhea virus when it came into the U.S. in 2013. That’s why the multi-phase African swine fever field projects in Vietnam are an important step forward.

The Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Project is entering into year seven focused on building capacity as it fulfills its objective to monitor disease incidence and detect emerging pathogens.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers confiscated feral swine from a farm in El Paso County that later tested positive for pseudorabies.

If a foreign animal disease crisis hits, the last thing you’ll want to be doing is scrambling to figure out how to get all your animal movement paperwork in order, says Matt Ackerman with Pork Veterinary Solutions. 

Experts weigh in on the frequently asked questions about international shipping of soy and share best practices for importation of soy products in an effort to lower risk of foreign animal disease introduction.

In the constant microscopic tug-of-war, genes for antibiotic resistance have been around as long as bacteria. The more pressure you put on bacteria, the more they deploy defensive measures. Spencer Wayne, DVM, reflects.

Although it’s important to focus our biosecurity efforts on the farms, now is a good time of year to review important feed mill biosecurity in these five key areas, says Laura Greiner of Iowa State University.

Cutting the numbers of wild boar will be critical in combating the pig disease African swine fever in Germany.

China's Hebei province said on Wednesday that it has confirmed a new African swine fever outbreak in pigs being transported from other provinces.

For many, 2021 will not just be remembered as another year we battled COVID-19. It will also be remembered as the year African swine fever found its way back into the Western Hemisphere. 

France has signed an agreement with China to ensure pork trade can continue even if an outbreak of African swine fever occurs, in a breakthrough for European countries threatened by the pig disease.

USDA's APHIS issued a revised Federal Order to allow certain swine products to safely move to the mainland U.S. from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as long as they meet certain conditions.

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is awarding more than $16.3 million to 64 projects with states, universities and other partners to strengthen programs to protect animal health.

His warnings have gone largely unheeded, while wild pigs rapidly expand across Western Canada, with no nationally coordinated science-based containment strategy in place. For Brook, it’s a recipe for disaster.

Just in time to prevent and prepare for seasonal PRRS outbreaks, a team led by North Carolina State developed and calibrated a mathematical model for transmission of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus.

USDA’s APHIS is leading a collaborative effort to study antimicrobial use and resistance on Midwest commercial swine farms focusing on use and resistance related to animal health and production-related indicators.

“Managing endemic enteric pathogens in swine populations requires accurate case definitions, proper sampling and appropriate diagnostic testing,” says Eric Burrough, Iowa State Diagnostic Laboratory.

Sugar Land, Texas, a suburb of Houston, isn’t just growing in its number of residents – it’s growing in its wild hog population, too. And residents don’t know how to stop it.

Items and food entering a farm can carry pathogens that can be transmitted to swine and have severe consequences. Here are a few tips from Kayla Henness, DVM, with The Maschhoffs about food entry and UV chambers.

The Swine Disease Reporting System initiative now includes more than 950,000 unique submissions tested by PCR for the five U.S. porcine endemic agents. Here's an update.

Federal agents foiled plans for 47 roosters and hens that tried to cross the U.S. border at the Laredo Port of Entry on Nov. 12.

Megan Niederwerder, assistant professor at Kansas State University, will lead a new $513,000 research project to characterize African swine fever virus survival and transmission after introduction onto a farm.

The discovery of another case of ASF in farm pigs in Germany in an area previously free of the disease could make negotiations about lifting existing import bans with China and other major buyers more difficult.

There's no question interest in feed biosecurity is increasing. Research has confirmed diseases can be transmitted through contaminated feed, providing an avenue for introduction to susceptible pigs via ingestion.

Introduction of foreign animal disease viruses in domestic feed manufacturing facilities has the potential to unknowingly disseminate viruses. Researchers are studying how to best decontaminate facilities, SHIC says.

Often in production herds, especially sow farms with experienced staff, we build internal farm system language or “barn speak” that can take on a life of its own. It's time to clear it up, says Bill Hollis, DVM.

Researchers developed a quantitative risk assessment model to estimate the probability that one or more corn or soybean meal ocean vessels contaminated with ASF virus would be imported into the U.S. annually.

Alexis Main, graduate student at Oklahoma State University and 2021 College Aggies Online participant, clears up myths about what goes on behind closed doors on a pig farm and lessons she's learned about biosecurity.

Ohio’s Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory will now contribute data to the Swine Disease Reporting System to enhance capabilities as a surveillance tool and for early detection of pathogens of economic consequence.

African swine fever (ASF) is a nasty bug and it’s getting closer to the U.S. The highly contagious viral infection doesn’t infect humans, but it is 100% fatal to hogs. 

Bulgarian veterinary authorities on Monday reported a new outbreak of African swine fever at an industrial farm that has a total of 180 pigs in the southern village of Radinovo.

A newly discovered low virulent, genotype 1, African swine fever (ASF) virus is causing chronic infections in China's pig herd, says ASF expert Dan Rock at the University of Illinois. 

As we get ready to close out a roller coaster of a year, there are a few pieces of advice I’ve recently heard I wanted to pass on as we launch into a new year of foreign animal disease preparedness and prevention.

Farm workers can play a significant role in the transmission of influenza A virus within sow farms, according to Gustavo Lopez, DVM, a PhD candidate at the University of Minnesota.

The goal of the program is to create impactful and innovative outreach tools. This will better enable livestock veterinarians to recognize and address toxicology problems in food animal species.

Russia has reported a second outbreak of African swine fever at a site of the country's largest pork producer, Miratorg. The outbreak occurred in the Belgorod region in central Russia, Reuters reported.

The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing nearly $3 million in new initiatives to enhance biosecurity and support the provincial pork sector’s African swine fever prevention and emergency preparedness effort.

The pandemic and the shortage of food animal veterinarians have catapulted the concept of telemedicine forward. As ASF inches closer to the U.S., experts say telemedicine could become even more useful. Here's why.