Farms.com Home   News

African Swine Fever to be Worse in 2020

With so much focus over the past couple of months on the impact of COVID 19 around the world, there's concern that a deadly hog disease is continuing to run rampant.
 
Some experts now say the African Swine Fever pandemic will be even worse this year than in 2019 as the disease, which only affects pigs, spreads to even more countries. Researchers say ASF is a much stronger virus than COVID 19 in that it can survive in the environment or in food products for weeks and even months. While it's been around for years, ASF arrived in China nearly 2 years ago, and in a short amount of time, killed off what is estimated to be about half of the pig population in China.
 
The numbers might actually be higher but those are the ones being given by China's communist government. The disease is also spreading across parts of Europe, mostly through wild boar which can also be infected. One positive side effect of the current pandemic is reduced international air travel. That's considered one of the prime vectors of introducing the disease to hog barns in North America, through tainted meat products brought from countries where the disease is present.
Click here to see more...

Trending Video

Sow Welfare and Group Housing Systems - Dr. Laya Alves

Video: Sow Welfare and Group Housing Systems - Dr. Laya Alves



In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Laya Alves from the University of São Paulo, in Brazil, discusses how animal welfare regulations are evolving globally and their impact on pig production systems. She explains challenges in group housing, pain management, and euthanasia decisions, while highlighting the role of training and management in improving outcomes and economic sustainability. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Translating welfare requirements into daily farm routines without compromising economic sustainability remains one of the biggest challenges faced by producers globally today."

Meet the guest: Dr. Laya Alves / laya-kannan is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of São Paulo, Brazil, focusing on animal welfare in pig production, including pain management, euthanasia, and economic decision making. Her work integrates welfare science with practical farm management and sustainability. She collaborates globally to develop applied tools for producers.