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While most states continue to rely on passive surveillance, and the willingness of farmers to report visibly sick cattle to agriculture officials, several states have ordered mandatory bulk milk testing in order to detect HPAI in dairy cows.
Colorado famously did so over the summer, during their HPAI outbreak, and 3 other states currently without outbreaks (Arkansas, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma) have mandated regular bulk milk testing for the virus.
Three weeks ago the USDA unveiled Plans for Enhanced Testing For H5N1 in Bulk Milk, but a timetable for doing so, and whether (or when) it would become mandatory, were not specified. In early October, the FDA announced a Voluntary `Silo Study' To Blind-Test Raw Milk, but infected herds would not be identified.
Yesterday, Pennsylvania announced that no later than November 26th, every milk processor in Pennsylvania will be required to collect bi-weekly samples from each compartment of each milk tanker, and submit them for testing.
The press release from the State Agriculture department follows.
Pennsylvania Requires Precautionary Bulk Milk Testing at Processing Plants to Protect Dairy, Poultry Industries from Avian Influenza
November 20, 2024
At no cost to farmers, collective samples from milk tankers will aid early virus detection.
Surveillance testing will help prevent the spread of HPAI. No cases have been detected in Pennsylvania cattle to this point.
Harrisburg, PA – Today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced that Pennsylvania will now require precautionary bulk testing of milk for HPAI from Pennsylvania farms as an added measure to prevent the spread of avian influenza. No virus has been detected in Pennsylvania cattle, but cases continue to rise in other states.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is taking this preventative measure, at no cost to farmers, to pinpoint and contain the source of viral infections and prevent the spread of Influenza A, including highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Procedures are detailed in a quarantine order effective today. Several other states have implemented mandatory bulk testing of milk to reduce the spread of HPAI, including California, Colorado, Michigan, and Oklahoma.
This testing plan was developed in close consultation with dairy and poultry farmers to minimize the impact on their operations.
The measure is announced as more than 217 new cases in three states have been confirmed in dairy cattle in the last 30 days. Not typically fatal in dairy cattle, HPAI can severely affect milk production, lead to serious illness in some cows, and substantially strain farm operations. The virus is fatal in poultry.
“Taking this proactive step will ensure that we can protect our cattle, poultry, and farmworkers,” Secretary Redding said. “We are taking this step after careful consideration, in consultation with dairy and poultry farmers, and after voluntary testing was not adequate to get samples necessary for detection and prevention. Pennsylvania’s large number of farms with both dairy cattle and poultry present unique risks that demand extra vigilance.”
Milk samples will be collected from bulk milk tank trucks transporting milk from Pennsylvania farms to processing plants. If the receiving processing plant is in Pennsylvania, the sample will be collected at the plant by the processor. If the processing plant is outside Pennsylvania, the sample will be collected by the shipper, whether the shipper is an individual farmer or milk cooperative handling milk on behalf of farmers. Samples must have been taken by trained, certified personnel and submitted to a Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System lab within 48 hours of collection.
Samples will be tested for HPAI. If the virus is detected, it will trigger further investigation to identify the source. Special quarantine measures will be established to contain and eliminate the virus at the source.
Pennsylvania joins only three states without an active HPAI outbreak – Arkansas, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma – in requiring precautionary testing at the processor level. Milk that has been pasteurized is safe to drink. Pasteurization destroys the virus. This measure will help ensure an adequate supply of milk in the marketplace.
This new measure adds to requirements already in place to help prevent the spread of HPAI. In April 2024, Pennsylvania led the nation in issuing a Quarantine Order requiring testing of dairy cattle entering the state when HPAI was first detected in herds in other states. Pennsylvania’s strategic move was soon followed by USDA and other states.
