BioSec Bob here on Sunday, May 10, 2026 — let’s dig into what’s moving the markets and the barns this morning.
Starting in Iowa, where state pork officials are taking a measured stance after the detection of pseudorabies on a single farm. Brownfield Ag News is reporting the find marked the first case in Iowa since 2016, but officials say the detection itself demonstrates the surveillance system working as intended. The affected herd’s been quarantined and depopulation protocols are underway. State veterinarians stressed there’s no evidence of spread beyond that operation, and the broader swine population remains protected under existing biosecurity measures.
The broader financial picture for pork producers is improving, according to Successful Farming’s latest assessment of the sector. Profits returned in 2025 after years of margin pressure, driven by lower feed costs and steadier market prices. That said, operations are still grappling with persistent labor shortages and disease management costs that haven’t abated. Health challenges—both animal and worker—remain a drag on efficiency gains that the numbers might otherwise suggest.
Now to a border incident with real biosecurity teeth. Customs and Border Protection officers at Detroit Metro Airport caught a traveler arriving from a West African country with a cooked whole pig packed in luggage. CBS News reports the seizure happened during routine screening. The agency didn’t specify which West African nation, but the interception underscores why agricultural ports of entry maintain vigilance on imported animal products, particularly from regions where certain diseases remain endemic.
Across the Atlantic, Spain’s swine sector is contending with African Swine Fever even as the country’s industry expands. Teagasc, the Irish agriculture authority, notes that Spain’s herd growth is accelerating, but ASF continues to circulate in wild boar populations and poses an ongoing commercial risk. The disease hasn’t achieved the foothold in Spanish commercial herds that it has elsewhere in Europe, but producers there can’t afford complacency.
Shifting to poultry economics, a Malaysian feed expert is pointing to black soldier fly larvae as a potential way to reduce reliance on imported protein ingredients. Avinews is reporting the assessment suggests BSF larvae production could offset some of Malaysia’s feed import dependency, though the report didn’t quantify production capacity or cost benchmarks against conventional feedstuffs.
And on the legal front, National Hog Farmer is reporting the Department of Justice has reached a settlement with Agri Stats over price-fixing allegations involving both chicken and pork markets. Terms of the settlement weren’t fully disclosed in the initial reporting, but the DOJ’s action reflects ongoing scrutiny of data-sharing practices in livestock markets.
Keep your farm biosecurity protocols sharp—there’s a lot of movement out there.