USDA mandates testing of the nation’s milk supply for bird flu

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday ordered testing of the nation’s milk supply for bird flu starting Dec. 16, a step public health experts have clamored for following the detection of the H5N1 virus in U.S. dairy herds for the first time this spring.

The mandatory testing system is designed to identify which states and specific herds have been affected by the H5N1 virus. So far, the virus has spread to 720 herds in 15 states.

Nearly 60 people, mostly farmworkers, have been sickened with bird flu in the United States.

“This 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,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a written statement.

The first round of testing will begin in California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania, the agency said.

An industry representative in Pennsylvania, which ranks second in the nation for the number of dairy farms, said monitoring efforts are precautionary. No cases of H5N1 have been detected in the state’s dairy herds to date, according to federal data.

“This shouldn’t affect output or production at all,” said David Smith, executive director of the PA Dairymen’s Association. “It’s just monitoring, and the Pennsylvania Agriculture Department and USDA just want to make sure that we’re proactive.”

The federal government says the commercial milk supply is safe, pointing to studies showing that pasteurization inactivates bird flu.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has previously voiced support for raw milk despite warnings from the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that drinking raw milk can expose people to dangerous germs, such as salmonella, listeria and E. coli. The bird flu virus circulating in dairy cattle has also been detected in raw milk, but pasteurization kills the virus.

The federal order issued Friday requires dairy farms, bulk milk transporters, milk transfer stations and dairy processing facilities to submit raw milk samples for testing upon request. Herd owners whose cattle test positive for the virus must provide information for contact tracing and disease surveillance. Private laboratories and state veterinarians must report all milk that tests positive to the USDA.

Regular monitoring will continue to ensure that the disease has not spread, but testing will wane from weekly to monthly to quarterly if herds continually test negative.

The new order does not override USDA’s April 24 order requiring mandatory testing of lactating dairy cows before interstate shipment and reporting of all positive tests by private labs and state veterinarians to federal officials.

- – -

Rachel Roubein contributed to this report.