Federal Officials Continue to Ramp Up Response to Avian Flu in Cattle; Mostly in the Background for Wisconsin's Dairy Industry

Wednesday, May 15th, 2024 -- 8:01 AM

(Hope Kirwan, Wisconsin Public Radio) Federal agriculture officials continue to ramp up their response to avian flu in dairy cattle.

But, according to Hope Kirwan with Wisconsin Public Radio, in America’s Dairyland, the threat of the virus is mostly in the background for the industry. Jason Marish is one of the veterinarians at Wisconsin Dairy Veterinary Service in Waupaca County.

He said they received an influx of calls after the virus was first found in dairy cows in Texas and Kansas at the end of March. “Because the disease isn’t that severe in the cattle, (the interest) has dropped off dramatically,” he said. “So it was kind of a flash in the pan.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed the H5N1 virus in 42 herds across nine states, including Michigan. So far, there have been no detections of the virus in Wisconsin.

On Friday, USDA announced farms affected by avian flu could apply for assistance with providing protective equipment to employees, veterinary costs and compensation for lost milk.

The agency has also covered the cost of testing for the virus in lactating cows moving between states since issuing a federal order requiring the tests last month. Marish said this testing has made it more complicated for Wisconsin producers to sell cattle out of state over the last two weeks.

But he said it’s not an unusual precaution for the dairy industry. “There’s lots of regulations going from state to state, whether it be for brucellosis or tuberculosis,” he said. “This is just one more thing that we’re testing for.”

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.