Dec. 6 (UPI) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture Friday announced a new national milk testing order to check for H5N1 bird flu. It requires raw unpasteurized milk samples nationwide to be collected and shared with the USDA for testing.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 was first found in dairy cattle in the United States in March 2024.
“Since the first HPAI detection in livestock, USDA has collaborated with our federal, state and industry partners to swiftly and diligently identify affected herds and respond accordingly,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsak in a statement. “This new milk testing strategy will build on those steps to date and will provide a roadmap for states to protect the health of their dairy herds.”
In April 2024, the USDA said the novel movement of H5N1 from wild birds to dairy cows required further testing.
Vilsack said the new federal order for milk testing, “will give farmers and farmworkers better confidence in the safety of their animals and ability to protect themselves, and it will put us on a path to quickly controlling and stopping the virus’ spread nationwide.”
The new federal order consists of three requirements.
Raw milk samples must be shared upon request from milk producing, dairy processing and transport entities.
Second, herd owners with positive cattle must provide epidemiological information that enables activities such as contact tracing and disease surveillance.
The final requirement is for private laboratories and state veterinarians to report positive results to USDA that come from tests done on raw milk samples drawn as part of the new milk testing order.
The new order is part of a multi-stage plan to work with states to stop the spread of H5N1 bird flu among U.S. dairy herds.
It includes nationwide testing of milk silos to monitor for bird flu, determining a state’s H5N1 dairy cattle status and detecting and responding to rapidly respond to virus infections.
The fourth stage, after all dairy herds in a state are considered to be unaffected, is to continue regular sampling of farms’ bulk tanks so the disease does not re-emerge.
And the final stage will be to demonstrate freedom from H5 for U.S. dairy cattle.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement, “This testing strategy is a critical part of our ongoing efforts to protect the health and safety of individuals and communities nationwide.”
He added, “Our primary responsibility at HHS is to protect public health and the safety of the food supply, and we continue to work closely with USDA and all stakeholders on continued testing for H5N1 in retail milk and dairy samples from across the country to ensure the safety of the commercial pasteurized milk supply.”
The first six states in the milk testing program will be California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon, and Pennsylvania.
Washington became the sixth state to identify a human infection of avian flu in October. Outbreaks have ben found in poultry, dairy, cattle and wildlife.
At least 31 human cases among workers in contact with animals have occurred in Washington, California, Texas, Michigan, Colorado and Missouri.