China says the outbreak of African swine fever likely stems from the feeding of food scraps to pigs. China’s agriculture ministry Wednesday moved to ban the feeding of kitchen waste to pigs after more than 40 outbreaks of the disease have been reported since early August. China has not said how the disease first entered the country, but officials found …
China-owned Smithfield Foods Eligible for U.S. Trade Relief
China-owned Smithfield Foods is eligible for payments under the $12 billion aid package for farmers. The Washington Post reports word of the eligibility has made smaller pork producers unhappy. The Virginia-based, but China-owned, pork company can apply for federal money under a program created this summer. JBS of Brazil is also eligible to apply. The Department of Agriculture announced the …
Beagle Brigade Helping Protect Homeland Pork
When Hardy, a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) trained detector dog, sniffed out a roasted pig head in traveler baggage at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International airport early this month, it underscored the efforts USDA and its partners are undertaking to keep African Swine Fever (ASF), a swine disease that could devastate the U.S. pork producers, from entering the country. USDA continues …
China Has Culled 200,000 Pigs Due to Swine Fever Outbreak
China, the world’s largest pork producer, has culled 200,000 pigs from its herds due to the outbreak of African Swine Fever. A Reuters report says Chinese health officials made the announcement last week. That number represents a small part of the 700 million pigs that China slaughters every year for food consumption. However, due to restrictions on transporting animals that …
U.S. Suspends Pork Imports from Poland
The U.S. suspended pork imports from Poland last week after an outbreak of African Swine Fever in that country. Pork Business Dot Com says the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service also has concerns over Polish export protocols. APHIS discovered that a Polish export facility shipping pork to the U.S. didn’t follow the requirements designed to help prevent the …
Trade News Has Pork Producers Feeling Optimistic
News on the trade front is getting better for U.S. pork producers as the Trump administration announced it wants to negotiate trade agreements with the European Union, Japan and the United Kingdom. The National Pork Producers Council commended the administration for its ambitious trade agenda. The administration recently updated agreements with Canada and Mexico and with South Korea that maintained …
Pork Producers Encouraged by Trade Announcement
Representatives of the U.S. pork industry say “we’ve got the momentum on trade headed in the right direction.” National Pork Producers Council President Jim Heimerl stated “pork producers are hurting because of retaliatory tariffs on pork,” but says their patience is starting to pay off. The comments followed the formal announcement that the U.S. is seeking new free trade agreements …
Trying To Settle Issues with Cultured “Meat”
The Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are trying to work out how new so-called “cultured meat” should be regulated and by whom. Gary Crawford has the story. Trying To Settle Issues with Cultured Meat Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Funding Crucial For Forage DevelopmentMay 22, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Funding to Enhance Brahman GeneticsMay …
Another African Swine Fever Outbreak Reported in China
China reports new outbreaks of African swine fever as fear of a global spread of the disease rises. Four reports were announced last week, and Monday, China reported a new case of the disease at a farm with nearly 20,000 pigs, the largest farm to report an outbreak. The new case, one many reported in the region recently, according to …
USMCA Predicted to Boost Protein Exports
Industry experts say the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) could lead to modest export gains for U.S. poultry, pork, and beef. A new report from CoBank says the agreement is expected to keep tariffs on food and agriculture between the three countries at zero. The report says the U.S. chicken sector exports are predicted to rise 47,000 metric tons in …