A macrophage (immune response) cell in early stages of infection with African swine fever virus, magnified about 1,000x. (Keith Weller photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

South Korea confirms new cases of African swine fever

Reading Time: < 1 minute Seoul | Reuters — South Korea has confirmed new cases of African swine fever at hog farms in cities near the capital Seoul after the country’s first outbreak of the deadly virus last week, the agriculture ministry said on Monday. The new case occurred at a pig farm with about 1,800 pigs in the city […] Read more



File photo of a hog cooling off in a pond in the Philippines. (Stewart Hall/iStock/Getty Images)

Philippines checks for swine fever as pig deaths rise

Reading Time: 2 minutes Manila | Reuters — The Philippines has set up a crisis management team to determine if the deadly African swine fever virus has reached the country after officials detected a rise in pig deaths in some areas. The Bureau of Animal Industry had reported an increased mortality of pigs “raised by farmers in their backyards” […] Read more



(Photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

China finds more cases of African swine fever on Hainan island

Reading Time: < 1 minute Beijing | Reuters – China has detected new cases of African swine fever in six farms across four locations in Hainan province, the agriculture ministry said on Sunday, adding to two earlier cases of the contagious disease identified in the province on Friday. The disease, which is fatal to pigs but harmless in humans, has […] Read more


‘Piggy’ greets visitors at the entrance to Mogens and Bente Dall’s property in southern Denmark.

The two sides of Denmark

They share so much, but under it all the Peterson and Dall farms have made some very different choices

Reading Time: 9 minutes Two farmers; two philosophies. Jorgen Popp Peterson and Mogens Dall are hog farmers in southern Denmark. Both are 55 years old. Each has adult children, both wives work off-farm, and each man is also heavily involved in politics, and on agricultural councils as well. But amid the similarities, there is this great difference. One farms […] Read more



A beagle. (BPretorius/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. to train more beagles to sniff out swine fever

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. government will increase the number of dogs used to sniff out illegal pork products at airports and seaports in an effort to keep out a contagious hog disease that has spread across Asia and Europe, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday. The disease, African swine fever, can […] Read more

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PEDv arrives in Alberta hogs

Reading Time: 2 minutes Veterinary officials in Alberta are now investigating the province’s first-ever outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) in hogs. Alberta Pork, the province’s hog producer commission, and the provincial government on Tuesday announced an outbreak of the viral disease at what was described as a “400-head hog operation.” Javier Bahamon, quality assurance and production manager for […] Read more