CHICAGO-
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has proposed allowing farmers to test the milk of their dairy cows in bulk for avian flu rather than testing the milk of individual cows before getting permission to ship them across the state borders, according to state and industry officials as well as agency documents.
The spread of the virus to cows and two dairy workers since late March has raised concerns about the threat of a pandemic, and government officials are trying to contain the disease while minimizing economic damage to the agricultural sector.
In late April, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) began requiring lactating cows to test negative before being shipped across state lines. He later said that order likely helped prevent the virus from spreading to new states.
The USDA reported 2,492 pre-movement tests Wednesday, but said that number does not equate to the number of animals tested.
A bulk milk testing pilot program could begin in June for farmers who choose to participate, according to documents the USDA sent this week to industry officials and obtained by Reuters.
Agriculture officials from six states told Reuters on Wednesday they were reviewing the USDA’s proposal for the program, which has not been previously reported. The USDA declined to comment.
“Once it has the support and participation of farms, the USDA program could help reduce the threat of H5N1 in dairy herds, further mitigate risks among farmworkers, and continue to protect the “our country’s commercial milk supply,” the International Dairy Foods Association said in a statement. statement to Reuters.
The USDA has confirmed the presence of the H5N1 avian influenza virus in cattle in nine states. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimates that 20% of the U.S. milk supply shows signs of the virus, indicating that wider spread is likely.
Farmers said testing milk from bulk storage tanks offers the opportunity to collect a sample from all cows in a herd and would be more efficient than testing samples from individual animals.
Milk tanks from individual flocks would need three consecutive weeks of negative test results to show the flock is free of avian flu and enter the new program, according to USDA documents dated May 24.
Farmers would then have to submit milk samples from bulk tanks every week to maintain their status, the documents state. Persistent negative results would mean no additional testing is necessary before shipping livestock interstate, according to the documents.
The USDA said it could establish disease freedom in states or regions if enough farmers participate. If a herd tests positive under the program, there will be an epidemiological investigation and assessment of the movements of animals considered low risk, according to the documents.
The program would primarily benefit large dairies that move animals, veterinarians said.
Three weeks of testing milk from bulk tanks, however, is not enough to confirm that a flock is free of avian flu, said Gail Hansen, a veterinary and public health consultant. Samples from healthy cows could dilute samples from a small number of infected cattle in the same herd when their milk mixes in the tank, she said.
“It can give people a false sense of assurance,” Hansen said.
State officials said they have questions about the logistics of the proposed program.
Texas said the USDA has informed state animal health officials about the program, but has not yet provided final details on how it will be implemented.
The program is intended to help control disease in cattle, but could have negative market implications for farmers, said Bret Marsh, Indiana state veterinarian.
“Indiana’s biggest concern is: How will the information collected be used? Any findings in Indiana could put us in the category of affected states, subjecting Hoosier producers to increased restrictions from other states,” he said.
Michigan, which has more confirmed bovine infections than any other state, is interested, said Tim Boring, director of the state Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
“One of the basic safeguards is to consider restricting animal movements,” he said. “The last thing we want to do is move sick cattle to different farms and thus spread the disease further.”
(Reporting by Tom Polansek. Additional reporting by PJ Huffstutter; editing by David Evans)
