USDA will soon begin testing mass amounts of the U.S. milk supply for High-Path Avian Flu.
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says it stems from an uptick in cases, and they got the idea from Colorado’s handling of the virus.
“We saw the state Colorado institute a fairly aggressive testing regime, and the result of that testing regime allowed them to identify precisely where the virus was, to utilize a number of tools, including advanced biosecurity, and as a result, they are now virus free. So we see that that system of biosecurity identifying where the virus is and trying to contain it at least worked in the context of a Colorado at the same time. We’re seeing obviously where we have a more intense concentration of dairy operations in California. We’re continuing to see more and more herds being impacted.”
This comes as yet another state adds a case to their dairy herds. Utah’s Agriculture Department says eight commercial dairies in the state have been affected, and all dairies with sick animals have been put under quarantine. No lactating cows from those facilities are allowed to travel. Officials have also asked the affected facilities to ramp up their biosecurity measures.
