US Dept. of Agriculture to Begin Testing Cow’s Milk for Bird Flu by Year’s End

From a recent USDA announcement:

Last week, as part of USDA’s broader efforts to combat the spread of H5N1, APHIS announced plans to partner with State and animal health officials to enhance testing and monitoring for H5N1, building on measures taken by USDA since the beginning of the avian influenza outbreak. This strategy builds on measure taken by states, as well as national risk mitigation measures including the Federal Order requiring testing of lactating cattle prior to interstate movement, which was announced in April 2024. The state of Colorado’s bulk milk testing program has been highly successful, with no herds currently containing cattle infected with H5N1 and has helped inform the design of this new milk testing strategy.

In partnership with state veterinarians, USDA will implement a tiered strategy to collect milk samples to better assess where H5N1 is present, with the goal to better inform biosecurity and containment measures, as well as to inform state-led efforts to reduce risk to farm workers who may be in contact with animals infected with H5N1. USDA intends to begin implementation of this strategy within 30 days of the announcement. USDA will continue to work with state and private veterinarians on the final details of implementation, and will share guidance documents soon.