Editorial - Swine Fever May Have Been Transmitted in Wheat

It is now thought that African swine fever (ASF) may have been transmitted to newly affected regions of Russia in feed wheat. Procedural violations are being blamed for the introduction of the infection, reports Rosselkhoznadzor.

According to an unaccredited source, the Territorial Administration received the information that several businessmen from Rostov had documents prepared for export of products from the territory of the Voronezhskaya Oblast. However, these documents were used to export grain from the Southern and North-Caucasian Federal Districts affected with ASF. It appears that the wheat may not have been heated to the required temperature to ensure it was free of the virus.

Also in the news this week are outbreaks of classical swine fever in Serbia and African swine fever in Uganda as well as a so-far unidentified disease that has killed one thousand pigs in Thailand.

And today, South Korea has confirmed ten cases of foot-and-mouth disease at two pig farms, the first known outbreak there for seven months. The farms in the south-eastern city of Andong have been quarantined and a total of 9,000 pigs on the two properties will be slaughtered, according to the agriculture ministry.

Previous outbreaks of FMD in South Korea earlier this year are reported to have cost more than 250 billion won (KRW; US$216 million) and resulted in the slaughter of nearly 50,000 animals.

Jackie Linden

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This Week's Feature Articles

Company News

Pig Industry on Top for Training
UK - League leader, Jonathan Bradley, has been awarded a prize as a top achiever for his continued commitment to training.

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Make the Most of Christmas Marketing
UK - Pig finishers should now be thinking about their marketing strategy over Christmas. With high feed costs and lower pig prices, it is important to optimise returns by planning ahead, advises Matthew Curtis, managing director of Yorkshire-based pig-breeding company ACMC.

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Absolutely Unique: Less Work, More Piglets
GERMANY & CANADA - Big Dutchman just signed an agreement for the distribution of two key products of the Canadian pig equipment manufacturer Conception Ro-Main in certain markets: the Contact-O-Max boar cart and PigWatch, a computerized management system for heat monitoring to reach insemination at the right time.

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Mycotoxins2011 at VIV Asia
THAILAND - Following the very successful Mycotoxins2009, this conference will run again as Mycotoxins2011 on Tuesday 8 March 2011 (the day before VIV Asia) in Bangkok Thailand.

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East-West Summit Highlights National Challenges
GERMANY - Expert insights into the changes and challenges facing pig production in China and Europe have been presented to an international audience at the EuroTier exhibition held in Hanover, Germany, on 16 – 19 November 2010.

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Global Pig Industry News

General

 » FMD NEWS: FMD Confirmed in South Korean Farms
 » Countries Take Action to Safeguard Genetic Diversity
 » Investments in Agriculture Must Grow

United States

 » Weekly Outlook: Hog Prices Go Up from Here!
 » Improving Energy Efficiency in Hog Buildings
 » AMI Urges USDA to Withdraw Proposed GIPSA Rule
 » Record Sales, Earnings for Tyson Foods, Says CEO
 » CME: Increasing Meat Volumes in Cold Storage
 » Weekly Roberts Report
 » CME: CPI Values for Beef, Veal, Pork, Chicken, Turkey
 » CME: Why Pork's Been Added to the MPR System
 » Russia Reinstates Tyson Pork Plant
 » Higher Hog Prices Forecast by Purdue Economist
 » Commercial Red Meat Production Down in October

Canada

 » Strong Dollar Could Offset Feed Cost Advantage
 » Biosecurity Standard for Pork Producers
 » Need for Livestock to Express Natural Behaviour
 » Production Costs May Determine Profitability for Hogs
 » Pork Commentary: EuroTier Report

United Kingdom

 » BPEX Celebrate Bulgarian Success
 » New Guidelines for Country of Origin Labelling
 » Green Business: How Does Industry Stack Up?

Russian Federation

 » ASF May Have Been Transmitted to New Area in Wheat
 » Govt Announces Further Cuts in Meat Import Quotas

Denmark

 » Danish Industry Combating Bad Publicity
 » Danish Ministers Open Centre for Animal Welfare
 » Tulip Food Company Notes Marked Progress
 » Danish Crown Posts Best Results Ever
 » Programme Reduces Consumption of Antibiotics

Serbia

 » Classical Swine Fever Breaks Out in Serbia

Thailand

 » Epidemic Zone Declared After Death of 1,000 Pigs

New Zealand

 » Pigs Bring Taranaki Pig Farmer National Award

Uganda

 » Quarantine Imposed on Pigs Due to ASF

Ireland

 » Farmers Continue to Protest against Retailers

That's all for this week!

Ed.