BioSec Bob here on Wednesday, September 9, 2026—let’s get right into it.
Starting on the poultry side this morning: the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association has laid out its research priorities for the next three years, and they’re zeroing in on some real pain points for producers. According to Perishable News, USPOULTRY identified emerging challenges that’ll shape where the industry puts its R&D dollars through 2028. The priorities reflect what’s keeping producers up at night—biosecurity threats, production efficiency, sustainability demands, and changing consumer expectations all made the cut. The association’s signaling that the research community needs to move faster on solutions that’ll help operations stay competitive and resilient.
Over at a poultry safety conference covered by WATTPoultry.com, the message was pretty clear: prevention and early intervention are where the real wins happen. Speakers hammered home that waiting for problems to blow up costs you far more than catching them early. The takeaway from industry safety experts is that a solid protocol now—catching issues before they spread—beats crisis management every time. It’s straightforward stuff, but the conference underscored how critical it is to stay sharp on daily execution.
Shifting to swine: National Hog Farmer is reporting that a lot of producers have a blind spot they need to fix, and it’s not on the farm itself—it’s in the trailers. Clean facilities mean nothing if transport equipment isn’t getting the same treatment. Contaminated trailers moving between sites can undo all your biosecurity work before animals even hit your barns. It’s a logistics problem that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves, but the economics are brutal if you let it slide.
On the disease front, there’s a development worth watching from overseas. Pig World is reporting that researchers in India have developed a live attenuated African swine fever vaccine. That’s meaningful work in a region where ASF has hammered producers hard. While it’s not approved for use in the United States yet, international vaccine development keeps the door open for tools that could change the game if ASF ever crosses into domestic herds.
Stateside, USDA is opening applications for the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program, according to Farms.com. Producers in affected areas can apply for grant funding to support removal and control efforts on and around their operations. If feral swine are a problem where you operate, this is worth looking into—there’s money available to help tackle a real biosecurity and production threat.
Finally, ABC News is covering a reported case of person-to-person swine flu transmission in Spain. Health authorities are investigating whether the virus passed between people outside typical occupational exposure. The details are still developing, but it’s the kind of international respiratory disease activity worth keeping on your radar as we head into fall season.
Keep your protocols tight—a lot moving on multiple fronts right now.