# BioSec Agriculture Daily Briefing — Friday, May 22, 2026
BioSec Bob here on Friday, May 22, 2026, with what’s moving the needle this morning.
Starting with the research side: DVM360 is reporting that the USDA has awarded a grant to support swine health research. The funding will go toward investigating disease management strategies and improving herd productivity through science-backed protocols. Details on the scope and dollar amount haven’t been finalized yet, but producers should watch for announcements about which institutions are leading the work and what specific health challenges they’re targeting.
On the poultry front, CIDRAP’s tracking four confirmed avian flu detections across US poultry farms this week. The affected operations span multiple states, and biosecurity protocols are already in place at each site. Affected flocks are being isolated pending further testing. This marks a continuation of seasonal pressure that started earlier in the year, and integrators are reminding producers to maintain strict quarantine measures and limit personnel movement between barns.
Back to swine health—Pork Business is reporting that international standards bodies have finalized new protocols for evaluating African swine fever vaccines in field conditions. The standardized framework will allow researchers and manufacturers across multiple countries to run comparable trials, accelerating the path to viable vaccine candidates. These guidelines cover trial design, data collection, and safety monitoring benchmarks that researchers will follow starting this summer.
On feed quality, National Hog Farmer covered new research examining the effects of deoxynivalenol—that’s DON—in diets that include corn DDGS. The study looked at how increasing levels of the mycotoxin in distillers grains impact pig performance and gut health. Results showed measurable performance drops at higher contamination thresholds, reinforcing the importance of testing feed ingredients before they reach your mill.
Looking across the Atlantic, Reuters is reporting that African swine fever outbreaks in the European Union jumped significantly in 2025 compared to the prior year, according to the European Food Safety Authority. The surge was driven largely by cases in wild boar populations, but domestic pig herds also saw increased incident rates across multiple member states. The EFSA attributed the spread partly to warmer winters and shifting wildlife movement patterns.
National Hog Farmer also broke down the domestic pig numbers separately: African swine fever cases in EU domestic herds surged 76 percent in 2025 alone. The outbreaks were concentrated in Eastern and Central European operations, with biosecurity gaps and limited vaccine availability cited as contributing factors. EU policymakers are under pressure to coordinate stronger regional containment measures heading into the second half of 2026.
Keep your eye on those disease trackers—plenty of moving parts to monitor this spring.