Understanding HPAI Transmission Risk on Dairy Farms

Oct 20, 2025

Beginning in early 2024, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been detected in U.S. dairy herds, threatening milk production. Yet little is known about how the virus spreads in cows. The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and Michigan State University (MSU) are investing $225,201 into a Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research (ROAR) grant to understand how HPAI is transmitted in dairy cows.

Infected dairy cows experience sudden drops in milk production, lowering milk quality and causing significant economic losses for farmers. Cases of HPAI have also been observed spilling over from cattle to dairy workers. The level of risk for dairy workers from this novel spillover transmission poses and how it occurs is still under study.

Researchers led by Dr. Catalina Picasso, MSU assistant professor of large animal clinical sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine, are detecting and quantifying the risk of environmental HPAI transmission for animals and humans by mapping results from animals and air samples collected at dairy farms experiencing cases of avian influenza.

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Video: Unveiling a Breakthrough Genetic Solution for Future-Proof, Sustainable Pork Production

Marcel Huijsmans, Global Marketing Director at Topigs Norsvin tells us about their new genetic solution R3silience that offers a solid alternative to how the industry can approach disease management.

R3silience delivers scientifically proven, naturally resilient pigs that thrive under disease pressure, enabling more predictable, sustainable production by reducing losses and sustaining growth under disease challenge.

R3silience pigs deliver higher survival, stronger overall performance, and healthier herds - reducing wean-to-finish mortality by up to 6 percentage points during multifactorial PRRS outbreak*.

R3silience pigs not only show higher survival, but also deliver superior growth, improving daily weight gain by up to 0.04lbs. per day under multifactorial PRRS outbreak.*

Pigs with enhanced resilience to both viral and bacterial diseases require fewer health interventions and up to 8% less antibiotic treatments from wean-to-finish*, supporting better animal welfare.

For more information visit https://topigsnorsvin.com/products/r3...