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A veterinarian with the National Pork Board has devised a better way to deal with a foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak if it reaches the United States. There has not been a reported case of FMD in the United States since 1929, and animal scientists are working hard to keep it that way. One step in protecting animals is to create emergency plans for how farmers and government officials should react during outbreaks....More

Following a recent release of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report showing that medical doctors annually are prescribing enough antibiotics to give them to 80% of Americans, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) says a group is set to issue its own report, claiming that antibiotics use in food-producing animals is the main cause for people developing antibiotic-resistant diseases....More

Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) said Wednesday that President Obama’s 2014 budget proposal got one thing right....More

  A disclosure of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) status of swine is now requested as part of the import permit process. The new disclosure requirement, which became effective March 1, comes as a result of a 20-month initiative by the Wisconsin Pork Association’s (WPA) PRRS Committee to control the spread of the disease. Disclosure is made on the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection and the import permit application, which are submitted and reviewed before a permit is issued....More

It’s frustrating for producers when they find a pig “down” (Figure 1) or with central nervous system (CNS) signs (Figure 2) whereby pigs cannot walk – their ability to move from place to place being compromised....More

Using the cover of darkness, feral pigs have learned to outsmart even the most seasoned hunters as they set about on their nightly terrors, rooting up crops and suburban gardens, harassing native wildlife and turning watering holes into pigsties. The invasive porkers have made themselves at home across more than three-quarters of the United States and are responsible for an estimated $1.5 billion in damages each year. Most worrisome is their ability to learn from each encounter with a frustrated human....More

The National Pork Board on Saturday presented its Distinguished Service Award to South Dakota farmer Jim Leafstedt for his leadership in improving swine health in the United States, including the role he played during the elimination of pseudorabies from the United States. The award was presented in Orlando, FL, during Pork Industry Forum, the industry's annual business meeting. The award is presented each year to someone who has made an extraordinary contribution to the U.S. pork industry....More

Scott Hurd, DVM, is launching a new blog at the Meathingplace.com Web site. According to Meatingplace.com, “The Gentle Vet” blog will be an outlet from which Hurd will provide insight pertaining to medical and animal welfare issues and myths affecting the meat processing industry....More

If you are serious about staying ahead of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus, then it’s time to tighten biosecurity measures and take aggressive steps to protect your operation from the virus. That’s the message from Cameron Schmitt, DVM, Pipestone Vet Clinic of Iowa, based at Independence....More

As I think about conversations with swine producers the last few years, incidence of swollen joints and lameness in mid- to late finishing is certainly on the rise. In several cases, Mycoplasma hyosynoviae, a bacterial pathogen we’ve known about for years but didn’t see much, is commonly diagnosed as a contributor to arthritis and lameness in growing pigs....More

  Legislation introduced this week by two Democratic members of Congress aims to provide more information on the amount and use of antimicrobial drugs given to food-producing animals. But the legislation, introduced by Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Louise Slaughter (d-NY), fails to improve the process of judicious use of antibiotics – espoused by both pharmaceutical companies and the veterinary community....More