BioSec Bob here on Wednesday, May 20, 2026 — let’s dig into what’s moving the swine and poultry markets this morning.
Starting with disease containment efforts. Inside Metros is reporting that NMB — that’s the National Meat Board — has launched a coordinated response to contain an African Swine Fever outbreak. The exact location and scale of the outbreak are still being detailed by officials, but containment protocols are active and regional producers in affected areas should expect heightened biosecurity audits and movement restrictions on affected operations.
Over to Iowa now, where DVM360 is confirming the first US commercial pseudorabies case since 2004. The herd’s in Iowa, but the infection was traced back to breeding stock that originated in Texas. That’s a significant finding — pseudorabies has been considered eliminated from domestic US herds for over two decades, so confirmation of a new case is putting veterinarians and state animal health officials on high alert. Tracing the Texas connection is critical for understanding how the virus re-entered the commercial supply.
On the vaccine development front, Feedstuffs is reporting that global guidelines for African Swine Fever vaccines have now been published. These guidelines establish standards for ASF vaccine efficacy, safety, and deployment — a major step forward for producers and manufacturers looking to evaluate and implement vaccination programs as they become commercially available.
Across the Pacific, the Korea JoongAng Daily confirms that South Korea has identified 24 African Swine Fever cases across seven provinces so far this year. The geographic spread across multiple provinces indicates the virus is active in their swine population, which could affect import dynamics and international trade protocols for US pork exports to Korean markets.
Down in East Africa, Rwanda has imposed a complete ban on pig trade in response to an African Swine Fever outbreak within its borders. That’s a significant economic measure — the trade restrictions are meant to prevent live animal movement that could carry the virus to neighboring countries.
Wrapping up on the research side, National Hog Farmer highlights new swine cognition research coming out of UC Davis. The researchers are spotlighting the cognitive abilities of pigs — learning capacity, social behavior, and problem-solving skills — which adds to the growing body of evidence on how pigs process their environment and respond to management practices.
Keep an eye on those interstate movement notifications — they’re coming fast this week.