State Orders Increased Bird Flu Biosecurity Measures for Poultry, Dairy Cattle Facilities

May 03, 2024

By Tracy Samilton

State orders facilities to ramp up biosecurity procedures, after Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) recently infected dairy cattle in four Michigan counties. It has also infected poultry in 23 Michigan counties since the outbreak began in February, 2022.

Michigan is ordering poultry and dairy cattle facilities to ramp up biosecurity due to a bird flu outbreak.

That's after the bird flu was detected in dairy cattle in four counties last month. Bird flu has infected poultry in 23 Michigan counties since the outbreak began in February 2022.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A (H5N1), a strain of what is often referred to as bird flu, is responsible for a worldwide outbreak in poultry and wild birds. The current outbreak is the worst in United States history: More than 60 million birds have either died as a result of bird flu virus infection or have been culled due to exposure to infected birds, according to the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training & Education Center.

Among other steps in the state's order, the facilities must appoint a biosecurity manager, limit access points, keep a log of all visitors, and have disinfection procedures for vehicles and people. There are also new restrictions on exhibitions of lactating cattle and poultry.

Tim Boring, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development director, said the order is among the strictest in the nation.

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Video: Learning to Wrench From Dad the Hard Way

Harvest is a week out and the farm picked this week to fall apart. The truck needs a battery, the barn curtain's got a problem, and the corn and beans are telling us we're out of time to get it all fixed.

So it's a full day of wrenching. Tork supervises while I get the truck back running, then we're out at the hog barn where one rusted up part has the whole curtain system hung up. Ladder work, cable work, and a little dad-and-son disagreement about the right way to do it. We close it out walking the fields, shelling beans and checking corn, because whether everything's fixed or not, harvest starts when harvest starts.

Chapters: 00:00 Everything breaks the week before harvest 01:00 Tork supervises while I fix the truck 12:30 Out to the barn to find the curtain problem 14:30 One rusty part hung up the whole curtain 20:00 Running the curtain cable from the ladder 24:00 Walking the beans and corn before harvest 26:30 Wrapping up

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