As of April 10, no cases of avian influenza have been confirmed in California herds, but worries persist. “Right now, we’re pathogen-free here in California and we’re hoping to stay that way,” said Anja Raudabaugh, CEO of Western United Dairies. Concerted efforts are underway to bolster border inspections and enforce stringent health certificate requirements for cattle movement into the state.
“What the state veterinarian and the CDFA have decided to do is identify on the Certificate of Veterinary Inspection that these animals are not originating from a premise with a confirmed detection of – it’s called Bovine Associated Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza – or anything that is under suspicion, or suspect the premise to be possibly infected with avian influenza,” Raudabaugh explained.
That order was given on April 4 and includes shortening the time allowed between veterinary inspection and the movement of animals to seven days. High-risk cattle moved in violation of the new protocols may be quarantined by CDFA for 21 days. Egregious violations can also result in fines up to $1,000 per head, per day. Imports of cattle will continue with active enforcement of existing guidelines prohibiting diseased cattle from entering California.
Keeping the pathogen from entering the state is paramount for protecting California dairy herds. Raudabaugh describes the economic impact on herds in Texas and Michigan that have been affected as “horrific.” It appears that cow-to-cow transmission is the primary source of the virus spreading, making restrictions on cattle movement a critical piece of mitigating risk. Officials will continue to study the issue, as the ongoing outbreak is the first reported detection of the virus in dairy cattle.
“The dairy industry has had to really react,” Raudabaugh noted. “We’ve had to bring in a team of scientists from FDA, CDC, OSHA, the list goes on in terms of the amount of virologists that are looking at this, because it is a very substantial mutation.”
Brian German
Ag News Director / AgNet West