Latest News From Biosecurity

It’s not sharks, wolves, or bears that kill the most people—it’s wild pigs, and the numbers are trending up.

South Dakota Dairy Producers encourages all dairy producers to closely monitor their herd and contact their herd veterinarian immediately if cattle appear symptomatic.

Steve Troxle, state commissioner of agriculture, said he is waiting for more diagnostic information from the National Veterinary Services Laboratory and will work collaboratively with North Carolina dairy farmers.

The American Association of Bovine Practitioners is making the name change, as it more accurately reflects the issue.

Ohio has become the sixth state where dairy cattle have tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu.

Now that the mystery illness impacting some dairy herds has been revealed as the same strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza that has been impacting the U.S. poultry flock, pork producers are asking questions.

The laying hen industry shares similar risks to the pork industry regarding disease prevention. Versova's Craig Rowles shares practical examples from the egg industry that could work on your farm.

“The public doesn’t realize what these animals are capable of,” says wildlife trapper James Dean. “Unfortunately, you’re going to see more and more reports of people getting hurt in wild pig encounters.”

Explosive numbers, deadly destruction, devastating economic impact. Is it possible to control the spiraling feral hog population in Texas? A new study shows a warfarin-based toxicant could help.

EPA is proposing changes to rodenticides that would result in canceling products and uses, adding more requirements to labels, and reclassifying some products to restricted use pesticides. Here's what you need to know.

Under the rule, APHIS would require tags that are both visually and electronically readable for interstate movement of cattle and bison six months after a final rule is published in the Federal Register.

Nobody does wild pigs like the Yawt Yawt, aka David Ellis. From backwoods redneck to rising star, Yawt Yawt delivers a rip-roaring hunt as the grim reaper of wild pigs.

If you want to disrupt a government, disrupt the food supply. "Ag is critical infrastructure," says Andrew Rose, strategic advisor. “Three weeks without food and agriculture, and it’s over.”

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will continue field evaluation of the oral rabies vaccine bait ONRAB in seven states with a focus on effectiveness in raccoons, skunks and other wildlife.

Protecting herd health is a priority for pork producers, but despite scientific advances and improved biosecurity measures, disease prevention, as well as timely detection and mitigation, remain constant concerns.

Mangled mammal meat might have been the logical outcome that most superhero fans pictured when Batman took on Superman, but the potential outcome this bat meat posed to mortals was much more real, CBP reports.

Australian health authorities have detected Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in feral hogs in the Northern Territory.

Iowa, the nation’s biggest egg producer, is on high alert as highly pathogenic avian influenza spreads in the state. All live bird exhibitions at fairs and other gatherings are cancelled for a minimum of 30 days.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza has now been confirmed in Iowa, Kansas and Illinois.

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a flock of commercial broiler chickens in Stoddard County, Mo.

Reports of avian influenza in bird flocks on the east coast and more recently in Indiana are important reminders for small and large poultry producers to remain vigilant on biosecurity practices. 

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is expanding wild bird surveillance for avian influenza to include the Mississippi and Central Flyways. This will increase the agency's capability to track disease.

USDA reported an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian flu in a turkey flock in southern Indiana on Feb. 9. This is the nation's first outbreak in a commercial poultry operation since 2020. 

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

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.

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. 

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.

The World Organization for Animal Health confirmed an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) on the island of Haiti on Sept. 20. This is the first case of ASF virus reported in Haiti since 1984.

AgriTalk's Chip Flory and Pro Farmer’s Jim Wiesemeyer discuss the situation at the southern border with Haitians, the latest on the battle over the infrastructure bills and more.

Democratic lawmakers urge House leadership for $75 million in funding for USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to prevent and prepare for a possible African swine fever outbreak in the U.S. swine herd. 

USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack urges the U.S. that it needs to be informed about the devastation African swine fever (ASF) can cause if it reaches the U.S. swine herd. Listen to his video message here.

A 20-year-old U.S. citizen driving a 2012 Honda Odyssey attempted to bring 320 pounds of pork bologna and 30 pounds of turkey ham through the Paso Del Norte Border Crossing on Aug. 26.

Traps. Drones. Sharpshooters. Missouri officials are doing everything they can to control its feral hog population.

While there are lots of reasons to believe ASF in the Dominican Republic is not a sure sign it will penetrate the U.S. industry, still, everyone has become focused on it and how slippery it is to contain.

Do you know the signs of African swine fever? Whether it’s China, the Dominican Republic or elsewhere, ASF doesn’t always present itself with clear symptoms.

The Dominican Republic will slaughter tens of thousands of pigs after detecting outbreaks of African swine fever in 11 of the country's 32 provinces.

Chinese farmer Cheng wades through knee-deep water, pulling dead pigs behind him one-by-one by a rope tied around their ankles as he lines up the bloated carcasses for disposal.

German pig prices were unchanged this week despite the discovery of the disease African swine fever (ASF) in farm animals, German animal farmers' association VEZG said.

The U.S. is continuing to take steps to keep African swine fever out of the country. USDA recently announced that it has approved blood swabs and spots as official African swine fever (ASF) testing tissues.

China's efforts to control African swine fever outbreaks among its pig herd remained complicated, with 11 outbreaks officially reported so far this year and new variants of the virus also present.

The first cases of African swine fever (ASF) have been confirmed in farm pigs in Germany, the country's federal agriculture ministry said on July 16.

What happens when wild pigs are given 1,000 tons of groceries per day in the form of landfill trash? Expect a ticking time bomb, and quite possibly, a $50 billion blow to the entire U.S. pork industry.

“The wild hog is very possibly the most dangerous animal in the wild. And he knows no enemies and he knows no fear,” says Hank Berdine of the Mississippi Levee Board in a new video series, Feral Swine in America.

Wild pig control is one of the greatest challenges in U.S. wildlife management history, and in many ways, wild pig prosperity starts in the fascinating belly of a beast like no other.

FADs are a constant threat to the livestock industry. The country is more tuned in to this struggle than ever before with the recent COVID-19 pandemic. National Pork Board's Dave Pyburn and NCBA's Ethan Lane discuss why.

If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught the country anything, it’s that there is a tremendous amount of synergy between the circumstances of a pandemic involving humans and those involving animals. 

An RNA genetic sequencing method studied by researchers at the University of Minnesota finds that rapid, unbiased pathogen detection can be achieved at the species and strain level.

Behind the walls of a hulking industrial compound in rural China, top pig producer Muyuan Foods is trying to raise more hogs on a single site than any company in the world - a risky investment with deadly ASF lingering.

The race to find a vaccine for African swine fever (ASF) continues across the globe. Vietnam’s minister of agriculture says Vietnam might have a vaccine as early as 2021 following optimistic small-scale test results.

As novel coronavirus (COVID-19) makes its way into the U.S., are you prepared for some of the more likely scenarios that could impact your operation?