Food Safety News The USDA is set to begin testing bulk raw milk for bird flu contamination in an effort to control the rapid spread of the virus.
In addition to more than 100 million chickens having been infected, more than 400 dairy herds have also become infected with the virus, with more than 200 herds impacted in California alone. The virus was first detected in dairy cows in March this year.
“In partnership with state veterinarians, USDA will implement a tiered strategy to collect milk samples to better assess where H5N1 is present, with the goal to better inform biosecurity and containment measures, as well as to inform state-led efforts to reduce risk to farm workers who may be in contact with animals infected with H5N1,” according to a USDA announcement.