Proposed voluntary framework would add vaccination to existing testing, biosecurity and animal movement measures.
U.S. agriculture and animal health officials are urging the federal government to give dairy farmers another tool to combat highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI): vaccination.
The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) and the National Assembly of State Animal Health Officials (NASAHO) are asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to immediately authorize a voluntary national emergency vaccination framework for dairy cattle.
The organizations met with USDA officials Nov. 5 and delivered a letter calling for a vaccination strategy that would begin with a limited pilot program in willing states.
The proposal would not replace existing disease-control measures. Instead, vaccination would become another option within a broader strategy that includes surveillance, farm biosecurity, animal movement management, identification and traceability.
“The dairy industry must have effective tools to combat HPAI,” NASDA CEO Ted McKinney said.
McKinney said programs including the National Milk Testing Strategy and premovement testing have been important for early detection, but officials believe controlling the virus will require veterinary countermeasures in addition to biosecurity and movement restrictions.
More Than 1,200 Dairy Farms Affected
HPAI emerged as a significant dairy cattle health issue in 2024, following the spillover of H5N1 from wild birds into U.S. dairy herds.
According to NASDA and NASAHO, more than 1,200 dairy farms in 20 states have since had confirmed cases.
The organizations also point to the relationship between infections in dairy cattle and the poultry sector. At least 17 states have experienced commercial poultry losses associated with spillover events linked to infected dairy cattle, according to their letter to USDA.
That connection is one reason state agriculture and animal health officials want additional measures available to prevent transmission.
“HPAI continues to loom as a significant threat to animal health, our food supply and commerce,” NASAHO President Dr. Alex Hamberg said.
Hamberg said state governments and veterinary officials need access to every available tool to help farmers protect dairy herds and poultry flocks.
What Would Vaccination Mean for Dairy Farmers?
Importantly, the proposal is for a voluntary, rather than mandatory, vaccination framework.
NASDA and NASAHO want USDA to establish a national emergency framework that would allow state animal health officials to choose vaccination as part of their response to HPAI.
Their letter proposes initially testing that approach through a limited pilot program in states willing to participate.
For dairy producers, vaccination could eventually provide an additional layer of protection alongside the measures already being used to limit the virus.
However, vaccination would not eliminate existing HPAI requirements or the need for strong farm-level disease prevention.
USDA currently requires testing of lactating dairy cattle before interstate movement under its April 2024 Federal Order. A separate December 2024 Federal Order established additional testing and reporting requirements for HPAI in livestock and milk, including the National Milk Testing Strategy.
Biosecurity, surveillance and traceability would therefore remain central to HPAI management even if a vaccine framework is authorized.
Trade Is Part of the Discussion
Any cattle vaccination strategy would also have to consider implications beyond individual farms.
NASDA and NASAHO identified international market access as one of the major concerns associated with continued circulation of H5N1. Their proposal calls for vaccination to be developed as one component of a coordinated national disease-control and eradication strategy.
Maintaining confidence in U.S. agricultural products at home and in export markets would be an important consideration as USDA evaluates any vaccination approach.
The groups also argue that allowing HPAI to become established as an endemic livestock disease presents its own economic risks.
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has committed billions of dollars to HPAI response efforts, including indemnity payments for poultry and costs associated with depopulation, disposal and virus elimination.
Beyond government expenditures, prolonged outbreaks pose risks to dairy and poultry farm finances, supply chains and the availability and affordability of dairy, beef, egg and poultry products.
Milk Supply Remains Safe
The organizations stressed that the U.S. commercial milk supply remains safe for consumers.
Their concern is focused on reducing disease transmission and preventing HPAI from becoming a persistent livestock disease.
Vaccination, they argue, could provide state veterinarians and livestock producers with another way to reduce transmission while continuing surveillance, testing, biosecurity and movement controls.
NASDA and NASAHO are now asking USDA to move ahead with the voluntary framework and work with states on its implementation.
For dairy farmers, USDA's response will be worth watching. If officials authorize the proposal, the next questions will include where pilot vaccination programs are established, which cattle could be eligible, how vaccinated animals would be monitored, and how vaccination would interact with testing, interstate movement and export requirements.
For now, existing USDA HPAI testing, reporting and interstate movement requirements remain in effect.
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