The rapid spread of African swine fever in Ukraine and around the world has highlighted the need to strengthen measures to control the spread of this highly contagious disease. First and foremost, it is important to implement and comply with biosecurity.

French farmers unions have demanded the mass culling of all wild boar in a wide zone along the border with Germany in order to avoid African Swine Fever (ASF) from coming into the country.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday the European Union should reconsider proposed import tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, and urged Brussels and Beijing to find a compromise that avoids a trade war, reported Reuters. 

Irish pig farmers can expect a profitable income this year, based on pig prices remaining on a high level. That would be the second year with a profit, following an income loss for 20 consecutive months from August 2021 to March 2023. The average financial loss was €522,000 per pig farm, the Agricultural and Food Development Authority Teagasc reports in its ‘Situation and Outlook Report’.

The public prosecutor in Pavia province, northern Italy, has opened an investigation to a vet and a pig producer. Both are thought to be involved in the spread of the recent wave of African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreaks on farms in Northern Italy, news outlet RAI Uno reported.

A formal application has now been submitted to the European Commission so that Sweden can be officially declared free of the disease at the end of September.

Within the framework of the project “Keeping Animals Healthy in Ukraine”, the Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders, with the support of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), has successfully completed 18 out of 20 planned biosafety audits at Ukrainian pig farms.

Imports of pork remain at a record low, while exports in January-August already exceed last year's achievements. Details of the dynamics of foreign trade in pork are reported by analysts of the Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders with reference to preliminary data from customs statistics of the State Customs Service.

This week contained a next chapter in the ongoing saga related to nitrogen emissions in the Netherlands, which could potentially have consequences for its swine industry. A few days ago, news trickled through that the new government is planning to scrap earlier policies aimed at protecting the Netherlands’ natural areas.

Autumn began with the beginning of a downward movement of prices in the slaughter pig market, according to the results of the weekly monitoring of purchase prices by the Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders.

South Korea on Saturday launched disinfection efforts after a reported outbreak of African swine fever at a pig farm in Gimpo, Gyeonggi province, according to local media.

Pig slaughter up by 2.4% compared to the second quarter of 2023.

Poland’s pig industry made it through a difficult summer. The profitability of many farms declined. There is no certainty that the rest of the year will be much better.

African Swine Fever (ASF) continues to claim victims on pig farms in northern Italy. Only in the northern regions this year, so far 23 pig farms have been infected in 2024, leading to the culling of tens of thousands of pigs.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will visit China next month, his office said on Friday, with Beijing's anti-dumping probe into EU pork imports as a backdrop, Reuters reported. 

The Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders (AUPB), the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection and representatives of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) are working to improve the biosecurity system in pig production.

So far this year, total outbreaks in this population are significantly lower than at the same point in 2023, while cases in wild boar have passed 4,600.

Smithfield Foods, the world's largest pork processor, on Tuesday announced the separation of its European operations as the Virginia-based firm plans to list in the United States, reported Reuters.

Frozen pork inventory in accredited cold storage facilities has fallen in 2024, according to a recent US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report.