South Africa Begins Vaccinating Cattle as FMD Hits Four Provinces

South Africa has kicked off a national vaccination campaign against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The move comes after confirmed outbreaks in four provinces, the South African Ministry of Agriculture said on Monday.

Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen oversaw the rollout at Karan Beef’s Heidelberg feedlot. The facility, near Johannesburg in Gauteng Province, confirmed an outbreak earlier this month.

"The first batch of 900,000 vaccines arrived in South Africa last week, and we commenced with the vaccination over the weekend," Steenhuisen told reporters on-site...

The Global Dairy Market Unpacked: Pricing, Production & Trade Trends

The dairy sector remains a cornerstone of the agricultural economies in the United States and the European Union. These regions make up 44.7% of global dairy milk production, dairy exports, and innovation in value-added products.

In 2024, the dairy market faced a series of complex challenges that tested its resilience and adaptability. Geopolitical tensions, climate-related disruptions, evolving trade policies, disease outbreaks, and shifting consumer preferences placed pressure on producers and processors alike. Additionally, inflation and global supply chain disruptions impacted trade flows and pricing stability...

Refreshed Website Offers New Biosecurity Resources

The Secure Beef Supply (SBS) website, www.securebeef.org, has been redesigned to better serve the growing number of users seeking new, updated and classic biosecurity resources.

“Producers can use these new Secure Beef Supply Plan resources to be proactive and customize their biosecurity strategies and plan before a disease outbreak – when time and resources are limited,” said NCBA’s Beef Cattle Specialist Veterinarian Julia Herman. “It’s a valuable addition to any risk management plan and should be developed in collaboration with veterinarians and other team members...

Bill Aims to Protect Texas Livestock from Screwworm Threat

A bill introduced in Congress aims to safeguard livestock and wildlife in Texas and the U.S. from the New World screwworm, a destructive pest that once devastated ranches across the southern U.S.

U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas) authored the New World Screwworm Preparedness Act to direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct a comprehensive study on screwworm surveillance and prevention efforts. The bill also requires USDA to recommend improvements that would strengthen the nation’s ability to respond to a potential outbreak...

Brazil Confirms New HPAI Outbreak in Backyard Poultry

On Saturday, June 7, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock confirmed the detection of bird flu in a backyard flock from the municipality of Campinápolis, in the state of Mato Grosso in Brazil.

The Official Veterinary Service closed the property and collected samples for laboratory analysis, which confirmed the outbreak. This marks the fourth case of avian influenza detected in backyard poultry in Brazil.

On Sunday, June 8, eradication measures and surveillance actions began within a 10 km radius of the outbreak...

USDA and Mexico Invest in Joint Effort to Eradicate New World Screwworm

On a recent call, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brook L. Rollins and Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development, Julio Berdegué Sacristán, discussed ongoing efforts to contain the threat of New World Screwworm (NWS) south of the US-Mexico border. The USDA shared an update on the partnership via its website.

As part of this effort, the USDA announced a $21 million investment to renovate an existing fruit fly production facility in Metapa, Mexico. The goal is to produce an additional...

The Bird Flu “Outbreak in Montenegro Is Completely Contained,” Brazil Says

“We are on the fifth working day after the farm was completely disinfected, and 15 days have passed since the outbreak was identified. I can safely assure you that the outbreak in Montenegro is completely contained,” Carlos Fávaro, Brazil’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, said on Tuesday in a public hearing at the Agriculture and Agrarian Reform Committee (CRA).

The hearing was to discuss the “zoosanitary emergency” resulting from bird flu, which has resulted in over 60 countries limiting some or all Brazilian poultry products after...

HPAI H5N1 Virus in Dairy Cattle – What We Know

In March 2024, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) A (H5N1), commonly referred to as bird flu, was confirmed in domestic US livestock for the first time in a dairy operation in Texas. Since then, the virus has spread to 1,072 dairy operations across 17 states, raising widespread uncertainty throughout the dairy and livestock markets. Industry participants have raised concerns about the outbreak's potential impact on consumer perception and demand for dairy and meat products, though government agencies reiterate that the national food supply remains safe. Expana is closely monitoring the situation...

Penn State Tests Dairy Herd for Bird Flu in Support of State Surveillance Effort

Animal health experts in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences have announced that — out of an abundance of caution — they will test the University’s dairy herd for highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, under a voluntary state testing program.

The announcement comes amidst an outbreak of bird flu that has affected dairy cattle in more than a dozen states since March. As of July 19, the virus had not been found in Pennsylvania dairy herds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and state animal...

Brazil Reports First Outbreak of Newcastle Disease in Poultry Since 2006

Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) has reported an outbreak of Newcastle disease in a commercial poultry flock in the municipality of Anta Gorda, Rio Grande do Sul state.

MAPA said the poultry farm was immediately quarantined. All birds will be culled, the farm disinfected, and a complementary investigation will also be carried out within a 10 km radius around the area where the outbreak occurred, in accordance with the national Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease Contingency Plan...