All the EU countries have maintained or reduced their pork production in the first four months of 2017, except France, Bulgaria and Hungary. France, with 38,500 tonnes more (+5.6%), recovered the fourth place in the ranking of main producers, beating Poland.

Although further investigation and refinement of the sampling method is needed, results indicate that snout wipes will facilitate convenient and undisruptive IAV surveillance in pigs at agricultural fairs.

Analysis of the intestinal situation of piglets is an essential action in health management programs. A piglet population with good intestinal health has excellent feed conversion efficiency.

In the first four months of 2017, the whole of the EU has suffered a fall in pork production by 183,100 tonnes (-2.4%) with respect to the same period in 2016, whilst the USA has grown by 75,900 tonnes (+2%).

The first article of this series of 9 provides news that’s maybe unknown to you: We’ve got an App!

The prices in Brazil show signs of recovery after hitting rock bottom in June. Since the crisis triggered last March by the discovery of frauds in the commercialisation of meat, the prices went from BRL4.30/kg to BRL3.10/kg, and they are currently above BRL3.70/kg.

Whole herd approach to swine disease control - Dr. Brian Payne, Regional Health Director, Pipestone System's Bethany (Illinois) and Rensselaer (Indiana) locations, from the 2017 World Pork Expo, June 7 - 9, 2017, Des Moines, IA, USA.

Farms with appropriate management, feeding and housing conditions have reduced levels of mounting and aggressive behaviour.

This means looking at ‘whole business decisions’, being able to do good calculations that take into account all production factors. Taking decisions on single traits, like born alive, have no place in a modern effective pig industry.

Fine grinding improves feed efficiency for meal but not for pelleted diets although pelleting improves average daily gain in growing pigs.

In Spain, August 15th will mark a turning point. The supply is recovering and the price will drop. In Europe there is an oversupply. The dollar is falling and the prices of American meat are more attractive.

Best Time Ever To Be In Agriculture, The Five Trends That Will Make It Even Better! - Dr. Lowell Catlett, Regents Professor in Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business and Extension Economics and the Dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at New Mexico State University, Retired, from the 2017 Iowa Pork Congress, January 25-26, Des Moines, IA, USA.

There is a lot of uncertainty about what will happen to the US pork export picture now that President Trump has pulled out of TPP and wants to renegotiate NAFTA.

Fermented soybean meal may become a suitable and economic protein source for weanling diets according nutrient digestibility and intestinal health.

Sow laminitis may frequently occur, causing production of low quality hoof horn.

Recognition of the pathogen is the first step of defensive immune response; both innate and specific immunity have mechanism to recognize the pathogen.

Arginine and other amino supplementation in gestating gilts improve farrowing and litter performance in low prolificity sows (≤14 total piglets born).

The disadvantage of some boxes is that some piglets are too big and lively and jump off easily.

The prices in Ukraine have reached unprecedented values, having exceeded UAH40/kg for some weeks, and having reached UAH47.20/kg at the beginning of July. The current prices double those seen 5 years ago. The main cause of this rise is the short supply of pigs for slaughter.

This assessment reflects the current situation and should be repeated if pleuromutilin consumption increases substantially, resulting in increased prevalence of mobile, easily transmissible resistance mechanisms.

Traditional culling policies have a threshold number of farrowings after which sows are culled —after weaning. But, what would happen if this policy were to be modified to actually consider the performance of each sow?