Articles

Higher pig supplies and weakness in the meat market triggered a sharp change in the German market trend during September.

After the exceptional respite in August, the European hog market is back on a bearish trend. Spain faces the coming months under pressure from falling prices, ASF, and growing international competition in a global market with an oversupply.

Heat waves have a lasting negative impact on the health, well-being, and performance of pigs, with effects that can last for several weeks or even months, particularly on reproduction. Anticipating these events, adjusting management practices during the heat wave, and supporting the return to normal conditions can help limit these impacts.

Improving colostrum quality is a key strategy for increasing piglet vitality and optimizing litter performance.

Geopolitics, oil, and a lack of purchases add uncertainty to a grain market that has already priced in the smaller harvests.

Proper medication requires knowing three key factors: the daily amount of active ingredient, the animals’ water consumption (and peak drinking time), and how to distribute the medication throughout the day.

Recent evidence shows that the maternal microbiota can be modified through nutritional strategies, promoting a more beneficial vertical transfer and a more robust neonatal microbiota.

The use of stillborn tongues improves monitoring sensitivity in low-prevalence settings, optimizes sampling, and facilitates the control of viral recirculation in farrowing.

Two strategies for keeping the resting area clean: using design to encourage resting and dunging areas, and surface management.

Maternal microbial imprinting describes the influence of the sow's microbiota on piglets' intestinal colonization, immune development, and future performance.

Prices recovered strongly in August, but Tönnies' new contracts and supply developments are creating uncertainty for the autumn.

This summer’s extreme heat has unexpectedly turned the European pig market on its head. A shortage of pigs and a rebound in demand have driven prices sharply higher in Spain and Germany, but competition from the world’s major exporters and weak Chinese demand paint an uncertain picture for the months ahead.

Success in pork marketing increasingly depends on understanding the customer: the buyer persona is becoming a key tool for improving margins and competitiveness.

This study confirms the multifactorial nature of PDS in relation to health, nutrition, hygiene, and management.

Designing with AI is designing to win: The farm of the future is not improvised, it is built as a data ecosystem from the ground up to transform every sensor into profitability and animal welfare.

Within a very short period, this clinical syndrome has been reported in multiple European countries.

Lower pig availability failed to support the market as weak demand, abundant pork supplies, and pressure from slaughter companies pushed the German pig sector into one of its worst crises in years.

We are facing a deep and prolonged crisis that is structural in nature. The European swine industry will be unrecognizable in two years.

Europe's dependence on fertilizers and natural gas highlights the importance of making better use of livestock manure as a source of nutrients and renewable energy.

When addressing respiratory diseases, the intestine should be considered one of the therapeutic targets.

Dew claw overgrowth and weak pasterns are welfare and economic problems directly linked to lameness, reduced reproductive performance, and premature culling.

The heat wave in Europe and the tension in Hormuz are bringing volatility back to markets that seemed calm just a few weeks ago.

We'll tell you about the Tosh Group's strategy for intensive pig production: use of technology, rigorous biosecurity, efficient nutrition, and high performance with few personnel.

Long‑awaited explanation for ear necrosis offers solutions for veterinarians and producers.

For the first time in years, no market expects prices to be higher than the year prior.

Historically, the focus surrounding weaned piglets has been on preventing and controlling post-weaning diarrhea. However, the physiological processes that occur in the first few days after weaning remain poorly understood, despite being essential for gut health. Recent research suggests that immediate post-weaning feeding plays a crucial role in the animal's subsequent development and growth.

Learn how to market pigs based on profit, not weight, as the profit optimal point changes with prevailing market conditions.

Vietnam has emerged as one of the most dynamic swine-producing countries in Asia, supported by strong domestic demand for pork and the modernization of pig production systems.

Summer is no time to wing it. The consequences of mistakes during this season are immediate and can be devastating.

Animals with less variation in daily intake showed lower mortality, greater daily gain, and fewer medication treatments.

PRRSpective project outlines a clear and simple plan for improving swine health management. Speakers Daniel Linhares, Clayton Johnson, Lance Mulberry, and Marius Kunze present actionable steps for achieving success through structured decision-making processes and disease control strategies.

Adding value to slurry through biogas production reduces emissions, costs, and environmental limitations in pig production.

Individual precision feeding (IPF) seeks to provide each animal with the exact amount of nutrients required daily.

Genetics plays a key role in the farm's future, with the terminal sire being a crucial investment due to its high impact on the pork value chain.

Diagnostic tools should be implemented not only reactively during outbreaks, but also proactively, allowing for early detection of infectious agents to anticipate potential problems.

Geopolitical uncertainty, the potential impact of Super El Niño and grain market volatility are keeping forward purchases on hold in a market that still remains within a not overly expensive range.

All players assume that, from now on, the supply of live pigs in Spain will be short.

Medium-chain fatty acids can help promote early growth in post-weaning piglets due to their high energy content, antibacterial properties, and ability to support metabolism in immature animals.

Thorough monitoring and a highly practical contingency plan helped minimise the impact of a PRRS infection at a GTC.

In 2025, the Latin American swine industry established structural expansion, reaching historic milestones in production, exports, and domestic consumption. However, in 2026, the sector faces a highly complex scenario, where projected growth will have to contend with the volatility of an unstable geopolitical environment and mounting sanitary pressures that are testing regional efficiency and profitability.

The administration of a hepatoprotective product at peripartum reduced sow mortality by 73%.

We're not just talking about family succession. We're talking about talent, vocation, future. How to cultivate today the leadership the sector will need tomorrow.

The most common diseases in piglets caused by E. coli are colibacillosis and edema disease.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) play a key role in intestinal health in pigs. In addition to providing readily available energy, they contribute to microbiota modulation, pathogen reduction, and improved digestibility and nutrient absorption, specially in piglets during the post-weaning period.

The tight supply of pigs ready for slaughter pushed prices up in Germany, although demand in the meat market and structural challenges remained limiting factors. In the medium term, the decrease in supply could benefit the market.

Success depends on targeted investments that make production systems more precise, predictable, and resilient. Cost-cutting alone is rarely a sustainable path to profit.

Among the elements that are often overlooked is the microbiota, a true "invisible organ" that plays a key role in the health, immunity, and productivity of pigs. Understanding its dynamics and how it becomes imbalanced is increasingly essential for the success of health and nutrition programs.

Initial injuries at the tip of the ear are usually due to chewing behavior, while injuries at the base of the ear appear to be influenced by feeder-related bites.

The flu is very much in the media spotlight, so we wanted to find out how much our users know about influenza's role in pigs and humans. To do this, we conducted a mini survey among our users.

The market is gradually working its way out of a phase of tension.

There is no doubt that ASF weighs heavily on pig prices. Prices will probably rise until they reach (and possibly exceed) the cost price, but we should not expect any major joys in 2026.

Individual precision feeding facilitates the use of alternative feedstuffs, such as forage, agro-industrial by-products, and others, by allowing them to be provided according to each animal's consumption and growth.

Prices were expected to be significantly better than what ultimately materialized in the hog markets.

The withdrawal of ZnO in the EU and the UK, and the pressure to reduce the use of antibiotics, has accelerated the shift to implement alternatives to protect postweaning gut health.

In addition to its role in protein synthesis, tryptophan contributes to the production of serotonin, a molecule that influences appetite and immune system regulation, and niacin production.

Effective PRDC control isn’t a single protocol — it’s a system. Success depends on accurate diagnosis, tailored vaccination, strong biosecurity, smart production flow, and, above all, consistent implementation. As Cano said, “Execution is everything. The best protocol won’t work if no one’s watching the barn.”

We visited the CDPQ, Centre de développement du porc du Québec, a commercial farm that operates under a unique collaborative model focused on research.

The speed and magnitude of the price drop at the beginning of January marked a discouraging start to the year for farms.

Spain has flooded the EU with cheap pork. Low pork prices dragged down prices in some countries.

Intestinal immunity is a complex system composed of physical barriers, immune cells, receptors, and microbiota.

In this second instalment, Cano and Segalés talk about tools for detecting PRDC on farms, the factors influencing its development, and vaccination.

The key takeaways highlight that environmental microbiomes matter—installing a positive biofilm on surfaces in farm buildings helps maintain a favorable microbial environment in the nursery—while animal gut resilience is equally essential and requires supporting microbial balance, immunity, and the management of oxidative stress to optimize their post-weaning performance.

Sara Mazo and Francisco Ruíz review what could affect the commodities market in 2026... at least based on the information currently available.

An in-depth understanding of the customer is essential for pig farmers who want to become more competitive, shifting from a tactical, production-focused approach to a strategic, customer-based approach.

The German pig market ended December with a deceptive sense of calm, yet beneath this veneer, the situation remained tense.

Intrauterine growth restriction is a complex condition with long-lasting effects that compromise both productivity and fertility in pigs.

Spanish farmers are losing over €47 million per week total, and pig prices are not expected to rise until February...

Reducing sow mortality takes time, and it is therefore necessary that the owner or manager is committed and leads the project. Throughout the process, you will need to draw a line and start doing things differently to achieve significant results.

Precision electronic feeding has become one of the key technologies for improving efficiency and sustainability on farms.

Inside the genome of the African swine fever virus: a giant that is difficult to decipher. CEREP uses genomics to study the virus's circulation in Italy and beyond.

Tonsil scrubbing using sponge catheters demonstrates a greater capacity for virus detection compared to sera from infected sows.

We answer frequently asked questions from the public regarding the recent measures implemented to control the outbreak of African swine fever detected in wild boars in Barcelona, ​​Spain.

The best DanBred sow farms in Denmark have sow mortality as low as 5%, showing that management, including feeding strategies, is the key.

We are in a critical market situation throughout the EU. It does not look like things will change until February next year.