The national milk supply must be tested for bird flu under a federal order announced Friday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Entities handling raw milk, such as bulk milk transporters or dairy processors, must collect and share samples with the USDA upon request. The goal is to quickly identify which dairy herds are affected by H5N1 — the strain of bird flu that’s causing outbreaks in poultry and dairy cows — and prevent transmission among livestock. As of Thursday, 718 dairy herds have been affected in 15 states including Minnesota and Iowa, but none in Wisconsin. “Among many outcomes, 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 Friday in a press release. The initial round of testing under the order, which was first reported by Reuters, is set to begin on Dec. 16. The rollout will start with six states: California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania. In addition to the testing mandate, the order requires dairy herd owners with cattle that test positive for bird flu to provide information that can help with surveillance.
