While Canada is free of African swine fever (ASF) and has never had a reported case of this devastating disease, prevention and preparation for its potential introduction into Canada is necessary for protecting Canadian pigs and the pork industry.

The threat level of African Swine Fever (ASF) in North America is very high. As a consequence, there are continued strenuous efforts across the industry, academia and the government to prevent the entry of ASF. One of them is a new model.

Researchers in China studied the effect of bone mineral density on lameness in boars and found that all types of claw lesions can affect lameness, with boars with ankle edema having the highest lameness rates.

Seventy-five percent of pig farms have implemented the best available techniques to reduce emissions levels at their facilities.

Jim Long Pork Commentary – October 9, 2023

Over 12,000 domestic pigs on five large farms have been affected by African swine fever outbreaks.

The three opposition parties likely to unseat Poland’s current ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party could be disrupted by a list of demands from farmers’ unions, known as the ‘Agricultural Twelve’.

Increased Canadian consumption has been a positive for pork producers, however, this has also been the result of lower export volumes, according to a recent US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report.

Wallonia is once again taking measures against the overpopulation of wild boars that they have been struggling with for years in the south of the country.

WOAH stresses the importance of the use of only high-quality ASF vaccines with proven efficacy and safety.

Spain's animal feed production reached 37.5 million tons and remains the European leader in compound feed production in 2022.

Ongoing research includes using nanosenors for disease surveillance and reducing the risk of contaminated imported feed ingredients.

Protecting the welfare of animals is essential for Europeans, as shown by the results of a Eurobarometer survey published today.

Beyond Meat halved its market value between July and August. Debt far exceeds income. Many customers are turning away from what appears to be a fad like alternative meat. Other meat substitute companies are struggling with the same drop in demand.

As a result of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, more than 300 livestock farms have been damaged or destroyed. About 7,000 cattle and 3.5 million poultry were killed. This is stated in the report of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.

State control over food safety and certain food quality indicators remains one of the priority tasks of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection.

Over the last 30 years, an estimated $3.8 trillion worth of crops and livestock production has been lost due to disaster events, corresponding to an average loss of $123 billion per year or 5 percent of annual global agricultural gross domestic product (GDP), according to a new report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

russia's bombing of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam has caused Ukraine nearly $14 billion in damages and exacerbated the consequences of the full-scale invasion, according to a comprehensive report by the Ukrainian government and the United Nations, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

Since the beginning of this year, more than 225,000 hectares of agricultural land have been inspected and identified for priority return to economic use. According to the operational information of the regional military administrations, more than 5,000 hectares of such land were inspected in the last week of October alone.

Jim Long Pork Commentary – October 16, 2023