Improving AI to Improve Commercial Pig Herd
UK - Fresh work on the study of porcine semen production could go a long way to improving the commercial pig herd in the UK, writes ThePigSite editor in chief, Chris Harris.

How to Make Better Vaccines for Humans & Animals
UK - Researchers at the Institute for Animal Health (IAH) and collaborators at the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, have discovered why some vaccines are not as effective at stimulating an immune...

New Tools for Re-emergence of Swine Dysentery
CANADA - The Chair of the Canadian Swine Health Board is confident new tools developed in response to porcine circovirus will help pork producers contend with the re-emergence of swine dysentery, writes...

ASF Breaks Out in Mpumalanga and Gauteng
SOUTH AFRICA - The South African veterinary authorities have reported nine new outbreaks of African swine fever, out of which eight outbreaks occurred in Mpumalanga and one in Gauteng.

Sampling Detects More ASF in Ulyanovsk Region
RUSSIA - In its operation to combat African Swine Fever (ASF) in the Ulyanovsk region, the veterinary office conducted sampling of pigs and wild boars across the region.

Animal Responses Effective for Evaluating Welfare
EU - Animal-based measures to assess the welfare of dairy cows and pigs are effective and should be used wherever possible, according to recent scientific advice from the European Food Safety Authority...

Congress Urged to Reject Antibiotic Restrictions
US - The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging congressional members to oppose legislation that would restrict the use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry. In letters to Senate and House members,...

PIC Opens New AI Research Centre
UK - Pig breeding company PIC opened a gene technology research centre in the UK on Tuesday – believed to be the first of its type in the UK and probably in Europe.

A New Outbreak of ASF in the Kuban
RUSSIA - Samples from pigs that died on a farm in the Krupskaya Krasnoarmeiskii district of the Krasnodar region, have been identified as African Swine Fever (ASF).

Congenital Tremor Type A2 in Gilt Litters
UK - Congenital tremor type A2 was diagnosed on two farms in gilt litters.

Training Offers Defence Against Swine Dysentery
CANADA - The Chair of the Ontario Swine Health Advisory Board says new programmes developed by the Canadian Swine Health Board are providing pork producers with the tools they need to keep their operations...

Pfizer Animal Health Promotes Scott Webster
US - Pfizer Animal Health announces the promotion of Scott Webster, MS, to director for the IMPROVEST^® (gonadotropin releasing factor analog-diphtheria toxoid conjugate) team.

Boar Corpse Identified as ASF in Tver Region
RUSSIA - Tver Interregional Veterinary Laboratory has investigated samples of pathological material taken from a wild boar, found on the territory belonging to Torzhokskiy society of hunters and fishermen,...

Recommendations to Prevent Swine Dysentery
CANADA - An Associate Professor with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine is advising pork producers to step up their focus on biosecurity to guard against the introduction of swine dysentery, writes...

Best Defences against Enteric Diseases
CANADA - A clinical professor with the University of Nottingham says effective sanitation and disinfection is the first line of defence against the introduction of enteric diseases into the swine herd,...

Antibiotics in Pig Feeds Increases Resistance
US - Antibiotics in pig feed increased the number of antibiotic resistant genes in gastrointestinal microbes in pigs, according to a study conducted by Michigan State University and the US Department of...

African Swine Fever Outbreaks in Tanzania
TANZANIA - The country's veterinary authority has reported two new outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) in Rukwa, which is near to the border with Zambia.

This Week's Pig News Round-Up
ANALYSIS - With new outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) announced recently in Russia and South Africa, the disease is becoming a global threat, writes Jackie Linden, senior editor of ThePigSite. Also...

Review: The Pig Journal, Volume 66
UK - The latest edition of the Pig Journal, published by the UK Pig Veterinary Society is now available.

Coordination on Food Safety & Animal Health Aid
GLOBAL - Strengthened coordination to improve results in a number of areas features in a new medium-term strategy for 2012-16. The strategy will help developing countries meet international standards on...

New ASF Outbreaks in Russia and Africa
ANALYSIS - Recently announced outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) in three regions of Russia have put Belarus on alert for the disease, according to Jackie Linden, senior editor of ThePigSite. There...

ASF Outbreak Reported in Mpumalanga
SOUTH AFRICA - Dr Bothle Michael Modisane, Chief Director of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Animal Production and Health, has reported an outbreak of African swine fever in at a...

Hog Cholera Cases Identified in Wild Boar
RUSSIA - Dr Nicolay Vlasov has reported two new outbreaks of classical swine fever, also known as hog cholera, in Vladimirskaya oblast and Smolenskaya oblast.

OIE Reports Three New ASF Outbreaks
RUSSIA - Dr Nicolay Vlasov, CVO of Veterinary services in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, has reported three new outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) in Krasnodarskiy Kray, Astrakhanskaya Oblast...

Failures in ASF Action Plan in Moscow Region
RUSSIA - In 2011, the Moscow Region Prosecutor's Office with specialists from the Rosselkhoznadzor veterinary service visited 15 pig farms and two military farms in the region to verify compliance of veterinary...

Ministry Intensifies Fight Against ASF in Belarus
BELARUS - Because of the rapid deterioration of the epizootic situation of African swine fever (ASF) in Russia, the Ministry of Agriculture and Foodstuffs of Belarus calls on regional authorities to take...

New Outbreaks of African Swine Fever Reported
RUSSIA - Samples taken from pigs that died at the "Plemzavod Industrial", located in the village of Industrial Timashevsk region of Krasnodar Region, have been studied by the Kropotkin edge veterinary...

Antibiotic Rule - a Small Step and a Sad Indictment
ANALYSIS - The US Food and Drug Administration's decision to ban 'extra-label' or unapproved uses for certain antibiotics is a small step in the direction towards reducing the potential risk of antibiotic...

Animals Unlikely Source of Antimicrobial Resistance
UK - Scientists at the University of Glasgow, Scotland are urging policymakers to reconsider priorities in efforts to understand and control antimicrobial resistance.

AVMA Responds to Order Limiting Use of Antibiotics
US - The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) announced Friday that the FDA's order prohibiting certain uses of cephalosporins in food animals appears consistent with the current AVMA position...