African swine fever detected on farms in Germany

African swine fever has now been detected on a small number of farms in Germany, after nearly a year during which it’s been known to be in the country’s wild boar population.

The third farm case was recently reported on a small farm with four pigs that was inside the restriction zone where the disease is common among wild boar, the Brandenburg state health ministry said. The disease had been found in two nearby farms the previous week.

This development isn’t expected to have a major market impact, since German pork exports are already subject to bans from many importers outside the European Union, sources told Reuters.

ASF ‘tooth extraction’ control doesn’t seem to work, study shows

A method of African swine fever control called the “tooth extraction” protocol doesn’t appear to be effective eliminating the disease from farms in Vietnam, according to a study reported on by the Swine Health Information Center.

In this process, a sow suspected to have ASF based on symptoms is removed from the operation, along with the two sows in the stalls on either side. But in the study, 39 of the 50 sows that tested positive for ASF were located outside that range. Researchers also found viral DNA in blood from sows showing no clinical signs of ASF.

The study, which was funded by a USDA grant, will be submitted to a peer-reviewed publication.