Weekly livestock news: June 17, 2024

FDA asks states to protect public from risks of raw milk

The FDA is asking states to take more steps to protect the public from the risks of raw milk as the H5N1 bird flu virus spreads through dairy cattle, CNN reports. The agency also recommended that states use their regulatory authorities to stop the sale of raw milk within the state or in areas where dairy herds have tested positive. Raw milk can carry high levels of the H5N1 virus because the virus appears to infect cows through their udders. It’s not yet known whether people can get bird flu by drinking milk contaminated with the virus. However, cats living on farms with infected cows have died after consuming unpasteurized milk, and three dairy workers exposed to raw milk have been infected.

Cows infected with avian flu have died in 5 U.S. states, officials say

Dairy cows infected with avian flu in five U.S. states have died or been slaughtered by farmers because they didn’t recover, state officials and academics told Reuters. Farmers have long culled poultry infected by the virus, but cows cost much more to raise than chickens or turkeys. A USDA spokesperson said the agency knew of a few deaths, but that the vast majority of cows recover well. Reuters was not able to determine the total number of cows with bird flu that died or were killed in South Dakota, Michigan, Texas, Ohio and Colorado.

As dairy farmers confront bird flu, the poultry industry could help guide their response

The U.S. dairy industry will probably have a tougher time slowing bird flu outbreaks than the egg industry, experts say. Dairies lack the time or staff to disinfect milking equipment between animals, so equipment could become contaminated. But the industry could follow a path taken by the poultry and pork industries to establish more formal, better-funded research organizations to respond quickly and avoid problems like bird flu, Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Laboratory, told The Associated Press.

Grant allows researchers to track respiratory pathogens in livestock in the Pacific Northwest

The Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Washington State University has been awarded a $1.5 million grant to identify and track respiratory pathogens in the Pacific Northwest that have the potential to spread between humans and livestock, including the avian influenza virus H5N1. The project, which is being funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Washington Department of Health, allows WADDL to expand its ongoing surveillance of avian flu and other zoonotic diseases like SARS-CoV-2 as part of the Pathogen Genomics Centers of Excellence, a national network of labs dedicated to preparing for and responding to infectious disease threats, the university said.

ADM recalls more feed products

ADM Animal Nutrition said it’s expanding recalls announced on March 30 and April 11 to include additional feed products due to elevated levels of magnesium, sodium, calcium, chloride and phosphorus. No illnesses have been reported to date, according to the announcement.

Ohio House passes bill prohibiting import of feral swine

The Ohio House passed a bill that prohibits the import of feral swine into the state, stops hunting of feral swine and ends the practice of garbage feeding swine. The bill would also allow landowners to kill a feral hog without a license as long as the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is notified within 24 hours, WTRF reports. “These nuisances are known carriers of diseases that are dangerous to both humans and livestock, such as African swine fever,” said bill co-sponsor Representative Bob Peterson.