5 poultry health, welfare areas in need of innovation

The poultry industry faces urgent challenges that depend on the development of new technologies that are scalable, practical and economically viable.

Elizabeth Doughman

January 13, 2026

Four-person panel discussion on stage with yellow and orange mum flower arrangements

Paul Ward | Poultry Tech Summit

With new disease threats spreading at unprecedented rates and labor shortages threatening operations, the need for technological solutions for poultry health and welfare challenges has never been more urgent.

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Hamburg, N.Y., manufacturer to scale production of Swormlure for USDA in the fight against the New World screwworm

Close-up of golden wheat heads with delicate awns in a mature grain field

University of Melbourne seeks commercial release of GM feed wheat

Livestock & Poultry Diseases

France reports first human case of cattle virus Shamonda

The midge-borne virus, which causes fever, lower milk output and abortions in ruminants, has been found in cattle in 52 French departments since this summer.

Brown and white dairy cow with yellow ear tags standing in green pasture

Brand Insights

Optimized phytase dosing: unlocking more value from feed phytate

IFF Animal Nutrition & Health

Learn how optimized phytase dosing with Axtra® PHY GOLD can improve nutrient release, reduce feed costs and maximize feed phytate value in poultry and swine diets.

Optimized phytase dosing: unlocking more value from feed phytate

African Swine Fever

ASF situation in Europe’s domestic pigs eases

Only a handful of new cases of African swine fever (ASF) have been recorded in European farmed pigs in the last two weeks, while in Asia, the disease appears to have re-emerged in East Malaysia. Classical swine fever has been reported on two more farms in Japan.

Multiple piglets feeding together from a wooden trough on a farm

New World screwworm

USDA confirms first screwworm case in US wildlife

A hunter-harvested elk in Pecos County, Texas, tested positive, so Texas is redrawing an infested zone and adding wildlife surveillance as hunting season gets underway.

Silhouetted elk wading through shallow water at sunset with golden atmospheric haze

Study tests omega-3 feed additive against heat stress in calves

Researchers want to know whether supplementing fall-born calves during backgrounding can protect growth and beef quality through the summer heat.

Brown and white dairy goats standing in a barn with hay and metal fencing

Avian Influenza

H5N1 returns to England, hits Northumberland commercial flock

All poultry on the premises near Belford will be culled after England confirms its first highly pathogenic avian influenza case of the 2026/27 season, UK government says.

White chicken with red comb eating from a trough in a farm enclosure

Livestock & Poultry Diseases

Grant funds aMPV vaccine trials, US-strain candidate

Researchers at South Dakota State University will test how well imported vaccines made from European strains protect against U.S. strains of avian metapneumovirus, while developing a vaccine of their own, funders say.

Brown and speckled chickens eating dry feed from a red bowl on dark ground

Avian Influenza

Washington resident contracts H5N1 after exposure to affected cattle

A resident of Yakima County, Washington, has tested positive for avian influenza after the state confirmed two dairy herds there were affected by the H5N1 virus.

Farmer feeding black and white dairy cattle in a modern barn with metal framework and hay

With FDA approval, Kemin’s chromium propionate available for livestock, poultry

Kemin Industries conducted extensive research that served as the basis for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine’s approval of the use of Kemin’s chromium propionate as a source of organic chromium in broiler breeder chicken and laying hen diets.

Pig Health & Disease

SHIC-funded study develops smoke detector-like technology for virus monitoring

The Swine Health Information Center funded a study to develop a viral smoke detector-like device for use in swine barns to autonomously detect viral pathogens directly from air in a continuous fashion.

Smartphone displaying biohazard symbol in poultry farm with heat lamps and livestock in industrial facility

New World screwworm

FFAR research explores New World screwworm vaccine

Led by Dr. Casey Wright, bacteriology development manager at Medgene, researchers are developing a vaccine that targets proteins NWS larvae need to feed and develop.

Fly with reddish-brown head and dark wings resting on a green leaf with water droplets

Avian Influenza

Report: USDA HPAI plan delayed due to RFK Jr. vaccine views

Sources told Politico that Kennedy’s vaccine stance contributed to USDA setting aside its poultry vaccination strategy.

African Swine Fever

Serbia records most ASF outbreaks in Europe this year

A sudden spike in African swine fever (ASF) that has hit domestic pigs in recent months has pushed the Serbian outbreak total this year close to 700, while Moldova and Romania also record new cases in Europe.

Magnifying glass examining a map of the Balkans region showing Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo, and surrounding countries

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