PORK WATCH

North America's Swine Industry Roundup

Pseudorabies Response, Farm Bill Push and Fresh Export Signals

This week’s swine news centered on U.S. disease containment, policy pressure in Washington and new market signals shaping producer decisions.

David Gould Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

The U.S. Pork Report

NPPC Keeps Pressure on Prop. 12 Fix Ahead of House Vote

In its April 27 capital update, NPPC said producers and allied groups were still pressing Congress to preserve the farm bill provision addressing Proposition 12. The group highlighted support from veterinary organizations and warned that a patchwork of state livestock rules could raise costs, complicate biosecurity and limit housing flexibility for producers and veterinarians.

NPPC Celebrates House Farm Bill Passage

NPPC said the House’s April 30 passage of the 2026 Farm Bill included all of its requested priorities, including Proposition 12 relief, trade-promotion funding, feral swine program support and stronger animal disease traceability language. The organization urged the Senate to move quickly, framing the vote as a major policy win for U.S. pork producers.

Genetics & Breeding Innovation

Swine Genetics to Feature Prominently at SIAVS 2026

The Pig Site reported May 4 that SIAVS 2026 in São Paulo will spotlight swine and poultry genetics as a base for productivity gains. Organizers said the event will focus on data-driven selection, feed conversion, batch uniformity and industrial yield, underscoring how genetics links directly with nutrition, health and management decisions across the production chain.

Balanced Breeding & Sustainability

AgView Pushes Digital Traceability for Show Pigs

Pork Business reported April 29 that National Pork Board-backed AgView tools are helping exhibitors and show organizers digitize movement records, reduce tag-entry errors and speed traceability during disease events. The rollout includes free 840 RFID tags through a USDA partnership and new tools intended to improve animal-health response readiness across show pig circuits.

McKean Conference Program Highlights PRRS, ASF and Biosecurity

The Pig Site reported May 4 that Iowa State’s 2026 McKean Swine Disease Conference will center on enteric disease, PRRS management, ASF lessons, biosecurity, influenza, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and emerging PEDV issues. Organizers also flagged sessions on water-consumption monitoring and disease forecasting, giving health teams a concentrated look at current control and elimination tools.

Iowa Expands Surveillance After Pseudorabies Detection

Pork Business reported May 1 that Iowa established a five-mile testing radius and a second two-mile follow-up zone after five boars in a small commercial herd tested positive for pseudorabies. Officials traced the animals to an outdoor Texas herd, said the site would be depopulated and emphasized that the detection does not threaten food safety.

Market & Supply Chain Dynamics

Pseudorabies Case Raises Short-Term Export Risk for U.S. Swine

Pig333 reported April 30 that USDA confirmed pseudorabies antibodies in a small Iowa commercial facility and linked the boars to an outdoor Texas herd. The report noted APHIS expects only limited short-term impacts on exports of U.S. swine and swine genetics, but the case revives attention on feral-swine spillover and market sensitivity to herd-health events.

Quick Bites

Japan, Mexico and Central America lifted U.S. pork exports in February. Read More

U.S. pork exports to Korea rose for an eighth month. Read More

Lean hog futures slipped again on demand concerns before grilling season. Read More