The detection of foot-and-mouth disease in Germany, Hungary and Slovakia after many decades of absence has been a surprising and concerning disease threat around the world, says Lisa Becton, DVM, assistant director of the Swine Health Information Center. She says the original source for the outbreaks is still undetermined, causing concerns for potential ongoing introduction and spread.
But what’s on veterinarian’s minds in the U.S.? There’s no doubt that swine health will be a hot topic this week at the World Pork Expo as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) continues to cause big problems throughout the country. Veterinarians Aaron Lower with Carthage Veterinary Service, Bryan Myers with Pipestone and Brandi Burton with Suidae join with Becton to discuss a variety of topics from the biggest health surprises in the first half of 2025 to what producers should do to keep disease pressure down this year.
Q. What’s been the biggest surprise from your perspective in terms of U.S. swine health for the first half of 2025?
Becton: “The biggest surprise was the increased activity and detection of PRRS during 2025 with virulent strains such as L1C.5/L1C.5.32 resulting in the highest case detection for April since 2018. Detection in wean-to-market age pigs is concerning and requires focus for biosecurity and biocontainment to prevent further spread.”
Burton: “Influenza is a pathogen we continually fight in all parts of swine production, but the biggest surprise for me is how impactful some flus have been the first half of this year. I saw more clinical impact in both sows and growing pigs from flu.”
Lower: “The surprising factor in 2025 has been the resilience of wean pig value. Our control of epidemic disease (coronavirus, PRRS) continues to be stagnant. Producers are willing to be decisive in depopulating herds due to PRRS infections. Breeding project sites, once temporary, are increasingly being converted into permanent facilities, signaling a strategic shift in how health risks are managed.”
Myers: “The typical time of year when we see more viral disease breaks (PRRS, influenza, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), etc.) seems to be moving away from the winter to later in the year with more disease breaks seen in March and April.”
Q. What swine disease is causing the greatest problems for producers in your area and why?
Becton: “Swine viruses like PRRS and PEDV continue to present significant challenges to swine health across the country. PRRS, in particular, continues to be a threat regardless of herd health status and can result in significant losses in both sow farms and downstream in growing pigs. PRRS infection can lead to co-infections with pathogens like Strep suis, creating a more severe challenge for affected farms. Risks for disease introduction can be multi-factorial and exist at a local, regional and even a national level. Subsequent solutions for control and management can be quite complex and expensive to implement on-farm, adding further challenges to manage this virus.”
Burton: “With my location in north central Iowa, PRRS is always at the top of the list. However, until fairly recently, PRRS was relatively quiet. April and May have shown once again to be as bad as our colder months in new breaks. Put a PRRS challenge on top of a more severe flu, and you have some pretty bad respiratory pigs out there. With that combination, you also start to see circovirus challenges, and it can become a bad clinical picture for these pigs and producers.”
Lower: “PRRS and coronaviruses continue to pose challenges, particularly during colder months. Coronavirus outbreaks have been notably regional, likely linked to contamination at packing plants and cull sow facilities. The industry needs better quantification of that environmental pressure to clearly communicate transportation-related risks to producers.”
Myers: “Unfortunately, the answer to this question has not changed a lot in the past 30 years. PRRS virus continues to be the biggest disease issue faced by our producers. In addition, swine influenza virus is causing problems in growing pigs. One of the major changes I’ve seen is the severity of these two viruses. Morbidity and mortality following these viral introductions appear to be getting worse.”
Q. What is one of the most important things producers need to be paying attention to now regarding swine health?
Becton: “It is important to routinely monitor herd health to initially create a baseline status for herd health, detect changes in health and production, and be able to rapidly respond when that status changes. The use of industry-wide monitoring and reporting systems of swine diseases can provide additional insight into disease pressures on a state, regional, and national basis. Knowing those pressures can guide farm-specific disease prevention and management strategies such as vaccination or changes in transportation routing and biosecurity to reduce potential exposure to positive pigs.“
Burton: “We can’t always prevent disease challenges from happening, but we can be extra vigilant in assessing the health of our pigs daily. Early intervention in a disease break is key to maximizing performance in those unfortunate situations. Most veterinarians rather be called too early than too late, and steps taken to keep pigs eating and drinking as long as possible should help minimize financial losses for the producer.”
Lower: “Execution errors remain a frustrating cause of preventable health setbacks. Ventilation is a major issue this time of year due to temperature swings of 30°F to 40°F in a single day. Producers should prioritize maintenance of ventilation systems, proper transitions between ceiling and tunnel ventilation, and precise inlet calibration. Another key area is feed execution, especially regarding F18 ETEC post-weaning. While rare today, outbreaks are now generally confined to a room/barn and often trace back to ration staging issues, leftover feed or feed mill manufacturing errors.:
Myers: “Early detection of disease breaks can allow for immediate intervention thereby minimizing morbidity and mortality. Day-to-day good animal husbandry is also critical to minimize losses due to disease. Often, non-infectious issues such as poor ventilation, crowding, etc., can play a role in a disease outbreak.
Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve heard lately?
Becton: “Plan for the best, but be prepared for the worst, as diseases do not always act ‘as expected.’ Routine monitoring and benchmarking of herd health status can help identify emerging issues and allow for rapid response.”
Burton: “Keep it simple, stupid.”
Lower: “’Don’t let a good crisis go to waste.’ A health outbreak is always frustrating—especially when the source is unclear. But the pathogen entered somehow, and that means there’s a route that has to be identified. Use the crisis as an opportunity to investigate deeper, uncover weak points and adjust your system.”
Myers: “People have the biggest impact on the health of pigs. A person with excellent animal husbandry skills can raise very good pigs in a marginal or even poor facility. A person with poor husbandry skills struggles to raise good pigs in the very best facilities. People make the difference.”
Lisa Becton, DVM, associate director of the Swine Health Information Center
Brandi Burton, DVM, with Suidae
