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Winners of 2020 European PRRS Research Award announced
The award aims to bolster research into Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS).

Funding prize will aid understanding of costly disease

Animal health firm Boehringer Ingelheim has revealed the three research proposals which have been awarded this year’s European PRRS Research Award.

The European PRRS Research Award aims to encourage further development of practical methods for controlling Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), as well as providing an opportunity for communication and knowledge sharing between researchers and academics in the field.

The awards are judged by an independent panel of highly regarded professionals from across the swine industry, including researchers and practitioners. The board is chaired by Enric Mateu, a professor of the Department of Animal Health and Anatomy at the Autonomous University of Barcelona’s (UAB) Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Science.

Winning proposals were selected for their potential for impact on the swine industry, their originality, and their innovation. Each winner receives €25,000 in funding to support their research.

The winners of this year’s European PRRS Research Award are:

  • ‘Biosecurity and management impact on PRRS status and economical profit: statistical process control after evaluation and improvement’, by Ramis Vidal from The University of Murcia, Spain
  • ‘PRRSV1 genetic recombination in swine herds: an emerging risk or hype’, by Erhard van d. Vries from Royal GD in the Netherlands
  • ‘Impact of weaning procedures on PRRSV in the nursery’, by Pia R. Heiselberg of HyoVet in Denmark.

The winners will receive their prizes at the fifth European PRRSpective, which will take place in 2021, in Bern, Switzerland.

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.