1. VAX4ASF advances as African swine fever reemerges in Europe
A future ASF vaccination program must be accompanied by an accurate way to distinguish vaccinated animals from those naturally infected.
Industry Release
National Hog Farmer
January 14, 2026
The European-funded project VAX4ASF - New Technologies for African Swine Fever Vaccines is entering its third year, carrying forward significant scientific progress at a moment when African swine fever has re-emerged in Europe in countries like Spain.
ASF virus is one of the most severe threats facing swine production worldwide. The virus, harmless to humans but deadly to pigs, can spread rapidly across regions, causing substantial economic losses, disruption to food supply chains and hardship for rural communities. Spain, the EU's largest pork producer, had been free of ASF for decades. Its sudden reappearance in late 2025 has served as a powerful reminder of the continued vulnerability of the sector, even in countries with strong biosecurity systems.
Against this backdrop, the work of VAX4ASF has never been more relevant. Bringing together 17 partners from Europe, Africa and the United Kingdom, the project aims to develop innovative vaccines, diagnostic tools and science-based strategies capable of transforming the way ASF is managed.
2. Georgia Confirms First 2026 Case of Avian Flu in Walker County Poultry Operation, Industry on High Alert
By Marc Washington
Hoodline.com
January 14, 2026
Georgia's poultry industry faces a serious challenge as the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the USDA's APHIS have confirmed a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a Walker County commercial poultry operation. This case, detected on Sunday, is the first this year and adds to the growing list of incidents since the nationwide outbreak which began in early 2022.
The Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network (GPLN) tested the flock after the producer noticed a spike in mortality rates, and their results, later confirmed by USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratory, triggered a swift response from the state's agriculture emergency team. Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper stressed that "Avian influenza poses a serious threat to Georgia's #1 industry and to the thousands of Georgians whose livelihoods depend on poultry production; GDA deployed immediately, and our staff is working around the clock to prevent any further spread, protect our state's poultry flock, and ensure minimal impact to other producers and Georgia consumers," in a statement obtained by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, indicating that steps were taken immediately to prevent further spread and protect the state's interests in the poultry sector.
Immediate actions included the depopulation, disposal, cleaning, and disinfecting of the affected premises which housed roughly 71,264 broiler breeders and farms within a 10 Kilometer radius are under quarantine, undergoing surveillance to detect any potential spread over the next two weeks, a necessary measure to manage the sizable crisis.
3. Cell study provides bovine TB vaccine insights
Inoculation stimulates activity in key immune cells in cattle, offering insights into improved vaccine design.
The Roslin institute
Feedstuffs
January 14, 2026
Insights into key immune cells in cattle could inform the development of vaccines against bovine tuberculosis (TB).
Tests in cows have shown that numbers of natural killer (NK) cells - which are associated with a response to infection - are increased as a reaction to a TB vaccine.
The results, which confirm that vaccination with Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) stimulates production of this type of immune cell, could inform development of refined, effective vaccines for bovine TB - a disease that costs U.K. farmers £100 million each year.
Scientists from the Roslin Institute studied the effect of administering BCG in calves that had been previously vaccinated or were given the vaccine for the first time. They compared the results with unvaccinated animals.
In animals given the vaccine, tissue samples taken from lymph nodes located in the cows' shoulder region a day or two after vaccination indicated a rise in NK cell numbers. This was found in cows given the vaccine for the first time and in animals receiving a repeat dose.
Full text: https://www.feedstuffs.com/nutrition-and-health/cell-study-provides-bovine-tb-vaccine-insights
4. APHIS confirms avian influenza in Delaware broilers
The situation had earlier been reported by the Delaware Department of Agriculture as a presumed positive case.
By Roy Graber
WATTAgNet.com
January 15, 2026
What was earlier reported as a presumed positive outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial broiler flock in Delaware is now a confirmed case.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that the situation was confirmed on January 13. The affected flock included 147,900 broilers and is located in Kent County.
The Delaware Department of Agriculture reported the situation as presumed positive on January 10.
This is Delaware's first HPAI infection in a commercial poultry flock in nearly a year. The last case to be confirmed was on January 29, 2025, and that situation also involved commercial broilers in Kent County. Delaware had three commercial poultry flocks affected by HPAI in 2025 that collectively involved 465,600 birds.
Delaware also had three commercial poultry flocks struck by HPAI in 2022, but the state was spared of any cases in 2023 and 2024.
5. CCA Statement on Proposed Federal Livestock Traceability Regulations [Canada]
Farms.com
January 14, 2026
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced today that the CFIA will pause any publication of the proposed amendments to Part XV (Traceability) of the Health of Animals Regulations until the proposed changes are more widely understood and concerns are heard and taken into consideration. The announcement clarifies that these amendments are not currently in place and have not been finalized.
6. Notice of Request for Revision to and Extension of Approval of an Information Collection; Communicable Diseases in Horses
Federal Register Volume 91, Number 10 (Thursday, January 15, 2026)
Notices
Pages 1739-1740
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FR Doc No: 2026-00613
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Docket No. APHIS-2025-0538
Notice of Request for Revision to and Extension of Approval of an Information Collection; Communicable Diseases in Horses
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Revision to and extension of approval of an information collection; comment request.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request a revision to and extension of approval of an information collection associated with the regulations for the interstate movement of horses that have tested positive for equine infectious anemia and for approving laboratories to test for equine infectious anemia.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before March 16, 2026.
Full text: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-01-15/html/2026-00613.htm