Taking a page out of Colorado’s book, USDA will start testing bulk raw milk around the country for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The department said on October 30 that testing would begin in early November.
Milk silos will first be tested in states where the H5N1 virus has been identified; bulk sampling will then be rolled out in states where H5N1 has not yet been confirmed. If bulk samples test positive, testing will be narrowed down to the farm level to better track and monitor the disease. Farm testing will continue until herds in an area are confirmed virus-free.
Since May, USDA has required that lactating cattle be tested for the virus before moving between states. But last month, the U.S. Animal Health Association passed a resolution emphasizing the need for a coordinated state and federal surveillance plan that called the interstate testing requirement “inadequate.”
Katelyn Allen
Nov. 11, 2024
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