The annual contest of most promising pig innovation in the Netherlands has been won by a novelty to weigh pigs using camera images, without the use of scales.

It was the 9th edition of the contest, which is officially called “Het beste idee van Varkensland” (which roughly translates to “The Best Idea in the Pig Community”). The winning innovation, developed by ICT expert Pieter Hoenderken, revolves around the use of artificial intelligence, which will help translate the dimensions of a pig into its weight – a process that can be done using fixed cameras. The intention behind the concept is to create a portable solution that the pig farmer can use to move around the barn.

Monitoring pig growth and health are important issues – as one of the main targets of producing swine is to get them to slaughter in a uniform manner. In case of deviation from the average, something may be wrong. Hence Hoenderken’s claim that the innovation can even contribute to improving pig welfare.

The technology is initially being prepared to determine the correct pig delivery weight. In the long term, it will be possible to monitor the development of pigs with the invention and link that to the management system.

Jon Oatley, a Washington State University professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences, was invited by the US Embassy in Romania to speak about his research into gene-editing livestock. But most of the questions the European policy makers asked had to do with public acceptance of the technology.

“I was invited to speak at this summit because of what we’ve been able to accomplish at WSU not just in the research world but also in the policy space. We’ve become the place in the US that everyone’s looking to for progress in this area,” said Oatley, who is also the associate dean for research at WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Oatley led the research team that developed “surrogate sires,” a gene-editing method which can help disseminate desirable and needed traits in livestock, such as better heat resilience. The technology promises to vastly improve protein sources to help feed the world’s growing population — but only if people will eat the meat from gene-edited animals.

Oatley and his team not only worked to secure Food and Drug Administration approval to put several CRISPR-modified pigs into the food chain but also ate the resulting sausage at a public cookout, inviting the media to try it themselves. This is the same goal Oatley had in Europe where policymakers are very hesitant about anything that might be considered “genetically modified.” “It’s not a concern necessarily about safety really,” Oatley said. “It’s the perception of how are we going to put something that could be considered genetically modified on to dinner plates? But we’re already doing it. We have been genetically modifying animals and crops through selective breeding for thousands of years. This is just a different tool.”

Gene editing involves working within a species’ genome to create changes in an animal or plant that could occur naturally. It often gets falsely conflated with genetic modification methods that insert foreign DNA from one species into another.

The most frequent questions Oatley received in Europe were about the potential need for labelling products, how gene-editing might affect animal welfare, and how to improve the public’s trust of science. Oatley doesn’t believe in the need for labelling meat from gene-edited animals if it has already passed safety tests as it should be on the same level as meat from selectively bred animals.

A study in pigs, which shows that inhaled vaccines could potentially reduce viral transmission and improve efficiency, is an important step toward advancing vaccines for human use.

Interest in administering vaccines mucosally, rather than by intramuscular injections, has been growing since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was declared in 2020. English scientists used pigs as a model to explore immune system responses to mucosally-administered flu vaccines, which target viruses at the point of entry. Comprehensive measurement of immune responses in human lungs is not possible. To overcome this challenge, the researchers used pigs – whose respiratory tract is anatomically and functionally similar to that of humans – as a model to define key immune responses. Samples collected from both the lungs and blood of vaccinated pigs, aided by mathematical modelling, showed that lung responses can be predicted from blood tests, making it easier to assess vaccine effectiveness in humans.

“To bring future vaccines to market, it is critical to define the correlates of protection – markers that can reliably predict the effectiveness of the vaccine, in humans. Our study explored potential assays, sampling times and sample types (such as blood and lung samples) which could define correlates of protection in humans,” Dr Simon Gubbins, Head of Transmission Biology at The Pirbright Institute, said. “The research found that immune responses in the blood could reliably reflect those in the lungs, thus offering a practical way to assess the effectiveness of vaccines targeting the respiratory system. The findings provide critical insights into how immune responses can be measured from easily accessible blood samples and are a foundation for future testing of mucosally administered vaccines in clinical trials,” said Sarah Gilbert, Professor of the University of Oxford.

The findings of this study, published today in Frontiers in Immunology have far-reaching implications for the future development of mucosally-administered vaccines in clinical trials. The pig model’s ability to closely mimic human immune responses to respiratory infections such as influenza makes it an ideal platform for testing vaccine efficacy. By defining effective biomarkers for mucosal vaccine efficacy and identifying the best ways to monitor and measure immune protection, this research lays the foundation for next generation vaccines. These could offer improved protection against respiratory viruses, benefiting public health worldwide.

In 2024, Brazil broke its previous records for the volume of its pig meat exports, and the revenue generated from this trade. The nation’s producer association is optimistic about further growth ahead, following additional facility approvals by Peru, and a renewed trade agreement with Mexico.

In mid-January 2025, it was announced the authorities in Peru had authorized a further eight facilities in Brazil for future pork trade, according to the Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA). With its relatively low annual per capita consumption of pig meat at 8.5 kg, the Peruvian market offers Brazil opportunities to expand and diversify its export trading channels, said ABPA president, Ricardo Santin. In 2023, Peru achieved domestic production of more than 220,000 tons. To meet demand, it imported a further 14,800 tons, of which 57% was from Chile, 13% from the United States and 12% from Brazil.

The latest Peruvian approvals came soon after confirmation that the government of Mexico had agreed to the renewal of PACIC, reported ABPA. Translated from the Spanish as “Package against Inflation and Hunger,” the Mexican PACIC scheme aims to facilitate importation of key foods — such as chicken and pork — to control food price inflation and prevent shortages. Removing quotas and import tariffs, PACIC will remain in effect in Mexico throughout 2025.

Since the package was introduced, a solid partnership has developed between Brazilian meat producers and Mexican importers, according to Santin. Over the coming year, he expressed the hope that this relationship and trade would continue to mutual benefit.

In 2024, Brazil broke its previous records for the volume of, and revenue from, pig meat exports. At more than 1.35 million metric tons (mmt), the volume of pork product (fresh and processed) shipped by Brazil was up by 10% year-on-year, ABPA reports. Revenue for the shipments was 7.6% higher than in 2023 at a little over US$3.03 billion.

In the Philippines, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has announced it is expanding the government-controlled African swine fever (ASF) vaccine rollout nationwide.

Set to benefit are large farms and smaller herds, reports the official Philippine News Agency (PNA). They explain that the farms must request inclusion in the campaign in writing to the DA. Then officials will visit the premises to assess biosecurity standards and preparations for vaccination.

One stumbling block in the ASF vaccination campaign so far appears to be a shortage of sampling and testing capacities, according to PNA. Vaccines can only be administered to healthy growing pigs (age six weeks or more) that have tested negative for the ASF virus. This requires the collection and testing of blood samples, and there are not enough accredited labs with the capacity to handle these and the follow-up checks taken at specified intervals after vaccination.

As far as Europe is concerned, the ASF situation among Germany’s wild boar population has remained consistently high, reported Schweine at the end of October. Since July, confirmed cases have been running at around 100 per month — much higher than earlier in the year.

Over the period October 16-23, further cases of ASF were confirmed in wild boar by eight European states according to the Animal Disease Information System from the European Commission (EC) Poland and Germany each recorded 39 new cases during that week, Latvia 29 and Bulgaria 13. Smaller numbers of cases were confirmed by Hungary, Italy, Lithuania and Slovakia. So far in 2024, 21 countries in the region have confirmed to the EC a total of 5,299 ASF outbreaks in their respective wild boar populations. For comparison, the EC logged more than 7,900 outbreaks in this category in 20 countries across the region during the whole of 2023. The EC had been informed by 15 countries about cases of ASF affecting their domestic pigs, bringing the regional outbreak total in this population to 657. During the whole of last year, 16 of the region’s states recorded a total of 4,513 ASF outbreaks in this category. Outbreaks have been reported in Italy (Lombardy region), Serbia, Romania and Ukraine, among others. 

When porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) struck U.S. pig herds in 2013, the Iowa State University (ISU) Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL) – which carries the nation’s largest swine caseload – scrambled to design a high-capacity test to keep up with the outbreak. Then they had to play a little catch-up to manage the large caseload, which taught the researchers many lessons.

It’s part of the reason VDL researchers have developed a diagnostic test for swine to detect Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a mosquito-borne disease common in southeast Asia that hasn’t been seen in the US.

JEV became a higher priority after it spread to Australia in 2022, prompting the Swine Health Information Center – a pork checkoff-funded industry organization charged with monitoring swine diseases – to fund development of a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for JEV, the same genetically based screening method considered the gold standard for diagnosing COVID-19.

Having a federally approved JEV test ready would help mitigate the damage of a possible outbreak, which could cause a drop in U.S. pork production of 1-2% and lead to economic losses of up to $612 million, according to an estimate commissioned by the Swine Health Information Center.

While most cases of JEV in pigs lead to minor symptoms, it can cause neurological and reproductive issues. JEV also poses risks for other animals, including humans. Severe symptoms in infected humans are rare, but in the 1 in 250 cases where they develop, the fatality rate is as high as 30%, according to the World Health Organization. The test developed at Iowa State, which can detect all five genotypes of JEV, could be used for humans, said Rahul Nelli, head of the research project.

Because individual pigs produce less methane than cattle, emissions from swine haven’t received as much attention in the scientific literature, according to Elvira Sattorova, a postdoctoral researcher at Aarhus University. But the cumulative impact of pig production is a matter of concern for countries with larger pig populations, including Denmark, Sattorova said. And scientists still know very little about the levers and controls that could minimize methane emissions from swine.

The first study by Sattorova’s research team, which is slated for publication in the October edition of Animal Feed Science and Technology, points to the potential impact of diet. In the study, growing pigs and sows fed diets with large quantities of beet pulp produced more enteric methane than those fed conventional diets or diets with higher quantities of wheat bran. Beet pulp contains more soluble fiber, while wheat bran contains more insoluble fiber, Sattorova explained. Soluble fiber is thought to be easier for most animals to ferment, which in swine appears to result in greater emissions of methane.

The initial study focused on enteric emissions — emissions from the digestive tract — and didn’t consider possible tradeoffs with the potential for emissions from manure. Though future work by Sattorova’s team will consider manure and other factors contributing to emissions from pig production, she said they wanted to focus on fiber in the first study on account of the growing interest in using byproducts that contain different types and quantities of fiber in pig diets.

The use of byproducts is generally considered a means of making animal agriculture more sustainable. But without better data on enteric emissions from pigs, it’s difficult to say with certainty whether the change in diet results in a net benefit to the planet, Sattorova said.

China will examine 3 large European pork processors in the context of the recently announced investigation into alleged “dumping practices of pig products” on the Chinese market. Danish Crown (Denmark), Vion Food Group (the Netherlands) and Litera Meat (Spain) were all ‘selected’ for a detailed investigation, Beijing’s trade department said.

In June, China announced that the country would be investigating what it feels to be unfair trade practices by EU pork exporters, following complaints from the China Animal Husbandry Association (CAHA). It is generally assumed that China has taken the step in retaliation to an EU decision to put a levy on imported Chinese electric cars, despite denials by the Chinese authorities.

All 3 companies have announced that they will fully cooperate and hand over all information requested by the Chinese authorities. They or their national organisations strongly deny the allegations.

Spain is by far the largest exporter of pork and pork products to China. According to figures by Interporc, Spain’s national organisation for the pig sector, in 2023 the Spanish pork industry producers exported 560,448 tonnes with a total value of €1.2 billion. About 20% of all Spanish pork exports went to China. When seen from a Chinese perspective, about 21% of all Chinese pork imports come from Spain. There is no indication from the National Association of Meat Industries of Spain (ANICE) that they are concerned about the Chinese action.

“We enter this phase with full peace of mind, just like the European Commission does. At the same time, we have to open, and keep open, the necessary communication lines between the authorities in China and Spain as well as the EU. If necessary, we will take the initiative to organise that”, said Giuseppe Aloisio, general director of ANICE.

News agency Reuters said that the probe is expected to be completed in June 2025, but could be extended by another 6 months.

According to Council Directive 98/58/EC (1998) animals must be fed a diet that is appropriate to fulfil their physiological needs. However, pregnant sows are generally fed at a restricted level to avoid a high body condition score and the risk of farrowing problems.

With a review, EURCAW-Pigs aims to support inspectors of EU member states in understanding the science and regulations related to pig welfare concerning hunger induced aggression and stereotypies. Underlying mechanisms and causes of these behaviours in sows related to hunger are described. Furthermore, measures to reduce welfare risks related to aggression and stereotypies are discussed followed by suggestions how to measure these behaviours.

Restricted feeding of sows results in behavioural and physiological signs of hunger, including increased competition for access to feed (aggression) and an increase in stereotypic oral behaviours. Competition over feed may be reinforced by several management and housing conditions that are described in the review. Hunger leads to frustration, that may develop into stereotypies.

Inspectors can measure aggression directly, by observing behaviour, and indirectly, by assessing the resulting skin lesions. Stereotypic behaviours can be observed based on so called ‘ethograms’ which describe the different types of stereotypies.

There are several ways to reduce the welfare issues resulting from feed restriction. They divide into possibilities to reduce the underlying problem of hunger and those to mitigate the resulting aggression and stereotypies. To reduce the root cause of the problem, sows need to feel more satiated during gestation which can be achieved by e.g. a higher content of fibre in the diet. Possibilities to mitigate aggression and stereotypies relate to aspects of housing such as space, flooring, substrates, feeding system, and complexity of the environment.

The Russian government and logistics firm FESCO have launched a ‘Meat Shuttle’. This is a railway service for the delivery of perishable products in refrigerated containers from Russia to China and countries of Southeast Asia. The new route will boost the export potential of the Russian pig industry in the Asian direction.

The service will utilise FESCO-operated intermodal and shipping routes via the ports of Vladivostok and St. Petersburg as well as via land border crossing points. The Meat Shuttle will give Russian meat companies an opportunity to send their products to China and the countries of Southeast Asia as part of a single end-to-end transportation without changing the refrigerated container along the entire route, according to the Russian export centre, a government agency authorised to facilitate export.

The new transport route will also save delivery time due to the absence of overload at intermediate points. Meat Shuttle clients will be eligible for reimbursement of up to 25% of transportation costs under the Russian state support programme for the transportation of agricultural products, the Export Center unveiled.

“I believe that given the opening of the Chinese pork market, the Meat Shuttle will be in great demand among Russian exporters of meat products and will allow them to occupy a serious niche in the target market” said Veronika Nikishina, general director of the Export Center.