The USDA has announced new federal guidelines requiring nationwide testing of raw milk samples to monitor for potential health threats, including avian influenza (H5N1). This directive aims to protect public health and prevent further outbreaks following the detection of the virus in raw milk samples in California.
Dr. Meg Schaefer, an epidemiologist and National Public Health Advisor for the SAS Institute, emphasized the significance of this measure. “The outbreak is so widespread in our dairy cattle right now that we have got to be aggressive in trying to stop it,” she explained, noting the potential for serious consequences if the virus spreads unchecked.
The new guidelines mandate that raw milk be tested even before pasteurization and that results be shared with the USDA. This increased information-sharing also extends to data on domestic poultry flocks, helping to provide a more comprehensive picture of H5N1’s impact.
While pasteurization remains a safe way to neutralize harmful pathogens, Dr. Schaefer warned against consuming raw milk during this outbreak. “The risk is far too high to expose your children or anyone, especially those who are immune-compromised or pregnant, to raw milk right now,” she advised.
For dairy farmers, the USDA’s directive serves as a call to action to collaborate in controlling the outbreak. As Dr. Schaefer pointed out, “All of our producers have the power and the ability to help work together with our government agencies and officials to stop this.” She said it’s important for producers to share information for contact tracing and epidemiologic analysis.
“Those actions are really critical and they’re really critical to dampen this down, to stop livestock loss, to stop the spread of illness, to stop Agricultural workers from getting sick,” she said. “And you know, at the end of the day, I would think as a producer, you would not want to be the farm that starts or originates the virus that ends up becoming a pandemic. And that possibility is real.”
Read the full USDFA/APHIS release.
Sabrina Halvorson
National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet News Hour. She was recently named the 2024 Farm Broadcaster of the Year by the National Association of Farm Broadcasting and serves as a Council Member on the World Agriculture Forum. Sabrina is a native of California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley and now divides her time between California and North Dakota.