BioSec Bob here on Wednesday, August 26, 2026 — let’s get straight to it.
Researchers are working to map where disease-carrying ticks live and breed to get ahead of African swine fever spread, according to Phys.org. The effort focuses on understanding tick habitat patterns so producers and regulators can better predict where ASF risk might flare up. Tick-borne transmission remains one of the least predictable vectors for the disease, and having geographic data on tick populations could help shape early warning systems and targeted biosecurity efforts in vulnerable regions. The work is part of a broader push to strengthen preparedness before ASF reaches U.S. swine herds.
Over at the USDA, there’s a comprehensive push underway to tackle the feral hog problem, National Hog Farmer is reporting. The agency is deploying multiple strategies—trapping, hunting assistance, and habitat management—across states where feral populations pose the biggest threat to domestic operations and natural ecosystems. The scope of the effort reflects how seriously the government is treating feral hogs as a biosecurity and agricultural liability, not just a wildlife issue.
On disease control, managing Streptococcus suis in swine herds is becoming central to cutting antibiotic use on farms, according to foodagribusiness.world. Controlling S. suis infections—which can cause meningitis, arthritis, and sudden death in growing pigs—means producers can reduce routine antibiotic applications. Better hygiene protocols, vaccination strategies, and early detection of clinical cases are the levers producers are using to keep the bacterium in check without relying on antibiotics as heavily as before. It’s a shift that regulators are pushing and producers are finding economically viable.
Down in the Caribbean, Antigua and Barbuda is reminding importers and consumers that a pork ban from the Dominican Republic remains active, Caribbean National Weekly reports. The ban stems from disease concerns, and authorities are enforcing compliance to prevent prohibited pork products from entering the region. Producers exporting to that market need to confirm their supply chains don’t route through Dominican sources.
Back stateside, pork producers are giving a thumbs-up to a USDA food assistance program purchase, National Hog Farmer says. The agency bought pork for distribution through nutrition assistance programs, providing both a market outlet for producers and supporting families in need. It’s the kind of government purchasing that helps stabilize demand when commercial markets soften.
Wrapping up internationally, swine flu hospitalizations are overwhelming hospitals in India, The Independent is reporting, and authorities have ordered lockdown-style measures to slow the spread. The situation underscores how quickly flu variants can strain public health systems, even when the primary concern is animal agriculture.
Keep a close eye on those tick reports and disease updates—plenty moving fast right now.