pigs

U.S. farms hold 68.4 million head of hogs, up 4 percent from a year ago when the sector began to recover from the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus that killed millions of piglets and drove pork prices to record highs, said the USDA in a quarterly report.

The highly virulent Asian-American strain of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus was found on a 5,000-sow hog farm in Ukraine, says ThePigSite. It says some 30,000 piglets died on the farm "in a matter of weeks" and cites concern the virus could spread into Europe.

The first case of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus was confirmed in Hawaii, on a farm in Waianae Valley on Oahu, says The Pig Site, and the state Agriculture Department has issued a guarantine order against movement of hogs on the west side of the island.

A third vaccine against Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus, which has killed 8 million piglets since mid-2013, is on the horizon, says the New York Times. It says MJ Biologics of Mankato, Minn, hopes to get USDA approval for its vaccine soon.

The World Organization for Animal Health says pig blood products are unlikely to spread the deadly Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus when used as a feed ingredient.

Researchers say they have confirmed that hog feed can be a carrier of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), which has killed millions of piglets since May 2013, says The Pig Site, an Internet news site.

The Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus, which has killed 8 million piglets, could surge again in the fall, "likely killing another 2.5 million pigs over the next 12 months and amplifying an increase in pork prices," says Reuters.

Hog farmers are obliged to report outbreaks of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus and work with offiicials to combat the disease and prevent its spread, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced at the World Pork Expo.

The government "has no clear idea" how Porcine Epidemic Virus entered the United States a year ago, Reuters says. The virus, with a high mortality rate for newborn pigs, has killed 10 percent of the U.S. hog herd and helped push pork prices to high levels.

In a step to protect the U.S. swine, herd, AgSec Vilsack announced the Agriculture Department will require reports of cases of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus and the similar Swine Delta Coronavirus.

Canada announced on Wednesday "it is enhancing its capacity to track animals from farm to slaughter through a mandatory national pig traceability system," says Feedstuffs.

Disease experts confirmed a case of African swine fever in Haiti, the second known case in the Western hemisphere in two months and a potential risk to U.S. hog farmers. African swine fever is harmless to humans but has a high mortality rate among hogs; it wiped out nearly half of China's hogs in 2018 and 2019.