Pig Progress

1 week ago | pigprogress.net | Vincent ter Beek

The number of cases of African Swine Fever (ASF) virus in wild boar in the populous German state North Rhine Westphalia state has gone up to 5 – up from 1. The 4 additional carcasses were found close to the first wild boar carcass that was confirmed infected this weekend. That carcass of a young adult wild boar was found in a forest near Kirchhundem, district Olpe, as part of the wild boar monitoring programme. The 4 other carcasses were found in the direct vicinity on Sunday 15 June.

1 week ago | pigprogress.net | Vincent ter Beek

The first-ever case of African Swine Fever (ASF) in wild boar has been reported from North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) state in central Germany. More infections appear likely as various other suspected wild boar carcasses are currently being researched. Until this month, the virus had not been found in NRW. Not only does this mean a new chapter in the ongoing fight against ASF, it also brings the virus closer to pig-dense areas like Belgium and the Netherlands.

1 week ago | pigprogress.net | Vincent ter Beek

Large pens for growers and finishers – that is one of the key features for grower pigs to thrive. With plenty of space to run around and plenty of feed to consume, a German farm is achieving a grower ADG of 480 g and 1% mortality. The moment farm manager Jonas Zacharias rattles with a bucket, the piglets below him realise what is about to happen. What follows is a nervous gathering of pink snouts. A few scoops of hay pellets disappear into an orange vertical tube, which is hanging from the ceiling.

1 week ago | pigprogress.net | Tony McDougal

Pig and poultry production and the environment can be boosted through enhanced water technology, according to new research. British agri-tech company Oxcel has had successful results from its Innovate UK-funded trials, which have been carried out in collaboration with Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and the UK Agri-Tech Centre. The Water-as-a-Service (WaaS) model has been trialled across commercial farms in Eastern England and at SRUC.

2 weeks ago | pigprogress.net | Vincent ter Beek

China has extended a probe into imported pork from the European Union by 6 months. The decision came earlier this week, days before the investigation was due to wrap up. The investigation, initiated mid-June 2024, is regarded as retaliation for EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle exports and has hit over US$ 2 billion in pork exports, news agency Reuters wrote. The EU pork exports are concentrated in major producers such as Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark.