Friday, May 31, 2024

U.S. pondering bird flu testing of milk


 

The United States Department of Agriculture has made a proposal that bulk milk ought to be tested for highly-pathogenic avian influenza virus.


A number of dairy cattle have been infected and three dairy-farm workers have had mild infections with this virus which is deadly to poultry and has resulted in the culling of millions of birds in United States and Canada.


The government said testing bulk milk would be more efficient than testing milk from individual cows.


In April the government ordered all dairy cattle be tested for the virus as a condition for crossing state borders.