Government launches Avian Influenza testing in dairy

Dec 11, 2024
By Farms.com

New federal testing to secure dairy health and trade

In a move to bolster the health of dairy cattle and secure agricultural trade, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has unveiled a new federal directive for testing raw milk for avian influenza.

This comprehensive testing protocol aims to address and ultimately eradicate the presence of avian influenza within dairy herds across the nation.

The newly introduced system consists of five stages, starting with immediate testing requirements at national dairy processing plants and silos.

This will escalate to a broader assessment of avian influenza status in dairy cattle at the state level, with subsequent stages focused on response and eradication measures.

The protocol will gradually demonstrate the absence of the disease through continued negative testing results, eventually confirming the state’s status as free from avian influenza.

This process is essential for reinstating confidence in the health of the national dairy herd and by extension, securing the U.S. position in global agricultural trade.

The implementation of this protocol will take a regional approach, targeting eradication efforts from one herd to another and integrating newly developed vaccines into the strategy. This initiative represents a crucial step towards ensuring the long-term health and viability of the U.S. dairy industry and its products on the international stage.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.