Warmer weather and sterilization efforts have led to a decrease in the spread of the porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDv) which killed millions of pigs last year and caused an increase in pork prices, according to the Associated Press.
The virus was never a risk to human health or food safety, but it managed to cripple the pig population in the past year. According to USDA, the virus is responsible for the deaths of seven million piglets in the last year, and the number of market-ready hogs available this past summer was projected to be 10 percent less than those in 2013.