More than 250 professionals from 29 countries came together for the first Axiom International Summit, a major milestone in Axiom’s international development.

African swine fever continues to spread across several regions of the world. In Europe, new outbreaks in domestic pigs have been confirmed in Hungary, Poland, Romania and Moldova, while the number of cases in wild boar since the beginning of the year has exceeded 6,200. At the same time, new outbreaks are being reported in Kenya, Tanzania, India and the Philippines, while Indonesia is trying to rebuild its pig sector after years of losses caused by ASF.

Canada and the United States are engaged in intensive negotiations in an effort to prevent new U.S. tariffs of 50% from taking effect at midnight on Wednesday. Around $20 billion worth of Canadian imports are at risk, while key sticking points include tariffs on vehicles, rules for calculating U.S. content in automobiles and Canada’s dairy supply management system.

South Africa’s pig sector is preparing for significant changes in breeding herd housing. The revised animal welfare code of the South African Pork Producers’ Organisation (SAPPO) provides for a complete phase-out of gestation crates from 1 January 2032 and increases the minimum space allowance to 2.25 m² per sow.

The African swine fever situation in Serbia remains serious: since the beginning of the year, 36,632 pigs have died or been culled because of the disease across 930 infected farms. In the past 17 days alone, losses increased by another 2,782 animals, although the authorities report some slowdown in the emergence of new outbreaks.

Five years after launching a national plan to reduce the spread of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), 74.3% of Danish pig farms now have PRRS-negative status. Key factors behind the progress include a regional approach, transparency of farm health-status data, control of animal movements and close coordination between producers and veterinarians.

In 2025, the pig population in the Flemish Region declined by 3% compared with the previous year, to 4.9 million head. The most significant structural changes are taking place in the breeding herd: the number of sows in the region is now 43% lower than in 2005. According to Statistics Flanders, the decline in pig numbers in Flanders has continued for several consecutive years.

What will an efficient pig farm of the coming years look like? Automated, digital, resource-efficient and focused on animal welfare. These are the issues that will be discussed on 23 September at the International Congress “Profitable Pig Production” during the working panel “Pig Farm 2030 in Practice.”

From January to May 2026, the value of European Union pork exports fell by 13%, or €688 million, compared with the same period last year. The main reasons were lower export prices and reduced shipment volumes to key Asian markets, including China, Japan, the Philippines and Malaysia.

British consumers are willing to pay more for food if it contributes to better welfare for farm animals. According to research by the University of Reading, 66% of respondents said animal welfare concerns influence their food purchasing decisions. In particular, households were willing to spend around an additional £1.61 per week to support the phase-out of farrowing crates for sows.

African swine fever continues to cause significant losses to pig production in different regions of the world. While some countries are reporting new outbreaks in domestic pigs and wild boar, others are still struggling to rebuild production after previous waves of the disease. Sri Lanka is introducing a special livestock insurance scheme to support farmers, while the number of pig producers in the Dominican Republic has roughly halved in recent years.

Four new cases of African swine fever (ASF) have been confirmed in wild boar in Catalonia over the past week. All were detected within the high-risk zone, which currently covers 19 municipalities. The total number of positive cases since the beginning of the outbreak has risen to 379. The new cases were reported by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of Catalonia.

From 11 to 13 August, a series of online training sessions on the responsible use of antimicrobials was held for representatives of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, pork producers and dairy producers. The training focused on new veterinary requirements and the practical use of antibiotics in different livestock sectors.

In russia’s Tyumen Region, pigs are being seized and destroyed on a large scale from private households due to an outbreak of a disease that local authorities describe as “particularly dangerous.” Veterinary authorities have not disclosed the official diagnosis, while animal owners suspect that African swine fever may be the cause.

On 20–21 August, Vinnytsia will host the final training sessions for representatives of territorial communities as part of a series focused on the responsible use of antibiotics and efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The event will conclude a multi-month programme of regional trainings that has involved communities from different regions of Ukraine.

Finland has confirmed 11 additional cases of African swine fever (ASF) in dead wild boar. The total number of infected animals detected since 30 July has risen to 14, prompting the authorities to expand the area where restrictions on hunting and forestry activities are in place.

Denmark’s pig sector could be entering a period of significant change due to new environmental and veterinary requirements proposed by the government. A carbon tax, stricter animal welfare standards and tighter restrictions on antibiotic use could increase production costs and reduce pork supply, with consequences for the wider European market.

In 2025, pork consumption in France increased by 2.7% to 2.172 million tonnes in carcass-weight equivalent. Lower prices were among the factors supporting demand growth, but at the same time the country became more dependent on foreign supplies, with imports now accounting for 29% of domestic pork consumption.

In the first half of 2026, pork production in China increased by 3.3% compared with the same period last year. At the same time, the pig herd remained virtually stable, while slaughter volumes rose by 1.7%.