Weekly Livestock-Equine News: November 3, 2025

Chewy to acquire SmartEquine from Covetrus

Chewy Inc. announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire SmartPak Equine LLC from Covetrus Inc. SmartEquine, which rebranded from SmartPak in July 2025, is a provider of proprietary subscription-based supplement programs, personalized nutrition plans and a portfolio of tack, gear and therapeutic products for horse and rider. The transaction is expected to close in Chewy’s fourth quarter of FY 2025.

Vetoquinol reports sales of first nine months of 2025

Pharmaceutical maker Vetoquinol reported that at the end of September, sales amounted to €384.2 million ($448 million), down 3.5% on a reported basis and down 1.3% at constant exchange rates. The United States recorded strong growth over the 3rd quarter (+7.5% organic growth), enabling this territory to return to growth (+1.2%) over the first nine months of the year.

UK field trials for bovine TB vaccine move to next phase

Field trials for a cattle vaccine and companion skin test for bovine tuberculosis have moved to the next phase, the UK Animal Plant Health Agency announced. Bovine TB costs England £100 million every year with an estimated further £50 million cost to the wider farming industry. The field trials are due to be completed in 2026.

British vets launch ‘smoother’ equine selling protocol

The British Equine Veterinary Association has unveiled a new document intended to relieve the need for vets to act as “the middleman” during horse sales. The Sellers’s Declaration is part of a revised Pre-Purchase Examination toolkit and calls for sellers to disclose key information, such as previous veterinary interventions, before the PPE takes place. The previous PPE listed questions for attending clinicians to raise.

Trade agreements provide much needed access to Southeast Asia markets

U.S. Meat Export Federation and the National Pork Producers Council expressed support for last weekend’s trade agreements with Malaysia and Cambodia and frameworks with Thailand and Vietnam. “With the U.S. beef industry currently lacking access to China, improved access to Southeast Asia is desperately needed to provide competing bids for beef cuts that are popular in Asia but not demanded by American consumers,” said USMEF President Dan Halstrom.

Auburn researchers target horn flies in fight for cattle health

The common parasitic horn fly (Haemotabia irritans), which can drain up to a pint of cow blood every week, is fast becoming resistant to insecticides. Researchers at the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station are working to discover insights into fly-borne pathogens and novel methods of biological control by shifting from traditional cattle-based experiments to molecular analysis of the horn fly itself.