1. Kansas health commissioner urges biosecurity to curb spread of EHV-1
Disease not yet reported in Kansas, but risk is higher during winter months
By Pat Melgares, KSU Extension
FarmTalkNews.com
December 8, 2025
Kansas Animal Health Commissioner Justin Smith says biosecurity practices will be key to stemming the spread of a highly contagious virus in horses that can cause respiratory issues, abortion and neurological damage.
"This is a virus that we tend to see during the winter months, much like the common cold or flu in humans," Smith said. "It becomes more prevalent as we shut the barn up and put horses in there…and this tends to be the time of year that we have large (horse) exhibitions."
In fact, Smith notes, the first sign of spread this fall was following a large national event in Texas. Because of that, some states have begun implementing regulations concerning horse shows, or cancelling them altogether.
"We haven't instigated any new regulations in Kansas; we have talked to several event organizers, and talked them through a process of keeping horses safe, but if they elect to cancel an event, that's up to them," Smith said.
Full text: https://tinyurl.com/bdzn3xzk
2. FSIS hosting Product of USA labeling webinars
Sessions for industry and state officials will cover updated regulations for voluntary labeling of U.S. meat, poultry and egg products.
Feedstuffs
December 8, 2025
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety & Inspection Service announced that it will be hosing two upcoming webinars to discuss the voluntary "Product of USA" labeling claim for meat, poultry and egg products.
USDA published a final rule in March 2024 allowing a voluntary "Product of USA" or "Made in the USA" label claim to be used on meat, poultry and egg products only if the products come from animals born, raised, slaughtered and processed in the U.S. The rule aims to prohibit misleading origin labeling and to provide truthful information for consumers about where the food comes from.
The updated regulations define the conditions under which the labeling of meat, poultry and egg products under mandatory inspection, as well as voluntarily inspected products, may bear voluntary label claims indicating that the product is of U.S. origin, according to FSIS. The label claim is voluntary and is eligible for generic label approval, meaning it does not need preapproval by FSIS before it can be used, as long as the establishment keeps documentation on file to support the claim.
The uniform compliance date for the labeling claim is Jan. 1, 2026.
Industry stakeholder webinar: Dec. 15, 2025, 1-2 p.m. ET
State government official webinar: Dec. 16, 2025, 1-2 p.m. ET
Full text with links to webinars:
https://www.feedstuffs.com/livestock-and-poultry-market-news/fsis-hosting-product-of-usa-labeling-webinars
3. New avian influenza cases reported in 3 Indiana counties
North Carolina and British Columbia also each have a commercial flock struck by HPAI.
By Roy Graber
WATTAgNet.com
December 8, 2025
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), HPAI was confirmed in three LaGrange County commercial meat duck flocks, with those flocks including 3,200, 12,300 and 23,100 birds. Also affected in LaGrange County was a flock of 2,900 commercial duck breeders.
In Elkhart County, two commercial meat duck flocks were hit by HPAI. One involved 5,400 birds, while the other involved 11,900.
One flock in Noble County was struck, with 6,500 commercial meat duck flocks affected.
So far in 2025, 60 commercial poultry flocks in Indiana have been hit by HPAI.
North Carolina's most recent instance of HPAI hitting a commercial poultry flock involved a flock of 18,900 turkey breeder replacement hens in Wayne County. That situation was confirmed December 4.
North Carolina has had eight commercial poultry flocks affected by HPAI so far in 2025, with all but one of those flocks being in Wayne County and involving turkey breeding stock. The other instance was a commercial egg laying operation in Hyde County.
4. Impact of African Swine Fever in Spain on Global Pork Trade
Oklahoma Farm Report
December 8, 2025
Late last month, African swine fever (ASF) was confirmed in Spain for the first time since 1994. ASF was first found in two dead wild boars in the Barcelona area, located in the Catalonia region. Eleven more wild boars, found dead in the same area, later tested positive. Catalonia accounts for about 8% of Spain's hog production.
In this audio report, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Vice President for Economic Analysis Erin Borror explains that Spain is the European Union's largest pork producer and the number two global pork exporter, trailing only the United States.
Because China recently reached an ASF regionalization agreement with Spain, China only suspended imports from establishments located in Barcelona province. South Korea also recognizes ASF regionalization for 14 EU member states, including Spain, so Korea will continue to accept imports from regions of Spain not affected by ASF. The United Kingdom and all EU member states will also accept imports from ASF-free regions of Spain.
5. Automated gender sorting could boost broiler sustainability
Separating flocks by sex helps optimize nutrition strategies for more uniform bird size, reducing feed waste and improving processing efficiency.
By Elizabeth Doughman
WATTAgNet.com
December 3, 2025
Automating gender sorting in the hatchery can improve flock uniformity, processing efficiency and sustainability outcomes, while replacing manual processes with technology that can sort up to 50,000 day-old chicks per hour.
"Nowadays, the manual feathering sexing is not accurate, because try to imagine someone doing this for seven hours, six hours," Danilo Okada, global poultry director of customer value and strategic partnerships at Ceva, said at the 2025 Poultry Tech Summit. "We cannot expect that the accuracy will be consistent, and the accuracy impacts uniformity, processing line, everything."
The technology uses six independent camera lanes that capture 30 to 50 images of each chick's wings from both sides as birds move along bouncing conveyor belts. The movement encourages chicks to stabilize and open their wings for accurate imaging. After processing the images, the computer identifies gender and uses gentle air pressure to separate females into a different channel while males continue straight through.
6. Veterinary medicine: Advancing animal health and human well-being in 2025 [edited]
Four institutions have made it their mission to help students excel in working across these borders.
Study International
December 3, 2025
COVID-19 exposed a truth the scientific community had long understood: human health, animal health, and environmental health are inseparable. Research shows nearly 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic -- from avian influenza to Ebola to SARS. At the same time, global challenges like antimicrobial resistance, food sustainability, and the rise of vector-borne diseases are forcing scientists, clinicians, and policymakers to collaborate across fields more than ever before.
This is why interdisciplinary training has become essential. Veterinarians now contribute to pandemic preparedness, wildlife surveillance, biomedical research, and public health strategy. Biomedical scientists drive innovations in vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics that protect both animals and humans. Public health researchers analyse how ecosystems, agriculture, climate, and population health intersect. In other words: real solutions only happen when these disciplines speak to each other.
Thankfully, four institutions in the US have made it their mission to help students excel in working across these borders.
[Univ. of Guelph, Cornell Univ., UC Davis, Texas A&M Univ.]