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The staff at DEPR is looking forward to gathering with all partners on Monday, May 6 in Grand Rapids. The agenda is available.
At this time, the public health risk associated with HPAI remains low
On May 1st, Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Director, Dr. Tim Boring, signed a “Determination of Extraordinary Emergency, HPAI Risk Reduction Response Order," to further protect Michigan’s poultry and livestock industries from the ongoing threat of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The order goes into effect on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, and applies to all dairy and commercial poultry facilities statewide.
The emergency order requires the following measures to be taken:
All Michigan dairy farms, as well as poultry operations considered commercial by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) must develop and implement biosecurity practices that include:
- Designation of a biosecurity manager.
- Designation of a line of separation to represent the perimeter of a secure area, limiting access points.
- Establishment of cleaning and disinfection practices and procedures at those access points for both vehicles and individuals. This must include deliveries of feed and other supplies, and training for employees.
- Establishment of a log book maintaining a record of all vehicles and of individuals who have gotten out of vehicles and crossed those access points, to be retained and made available for examination upon request by MDARD.
- All lactating dairy cattle, and those in the last two months of pregnancy, are prohibited from being exhibited until there are no new cases of HPAI in dairy cattle in the State of Michigan for at least 60 consecutive days. No dairy cattle of any age from an infected premises may be exhibited until further notice.
All exhibitions or expositions of poultry are prohibited until such time that there are no new cases of HPAI in domestic poultry in the State of Michigan for at least 30 consecutive days. As defined in the Animal Industry Act, “poultry” means, but is not limited to, chickens, guinea fowl, turkeys, waterfowl, pigeons, doves, peafowl, and game birds that are propagated and maintained under the husbandry of humans (MCL 287.703(iii)).
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Food and Drug Administration, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the commercial milk supply remains safe due to federal animal health requirements and pasteurization. Federal experts continue to stress there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or that this circumstance poses any increased risk to consumer health.
In the coming days, additional details and guidelines will be made available on Michigan.gov/BirdFlu. MDARD continues diligently working with local, state, and federal partners to quickly respond to reports of HPAI, mitigate the spread of the disease, and provide outreach.
Additional resources can also be found at Michigan.gov/BirdFlu.
At the end of each 5-year PHEP cooperative agreement, award recipients and subrecipients must turn in a list of decommissioned equipment to CDC. In this case equipment means a tangible asset purchased for $5,000 or more between July 1, 2018, and June 30, 2024, that has fully depreciated and is no longer in use by the health department or tribe. DEPR has developed an equipment decommissioning form for this purpose. If you have any questions, please reach out to Janis Tipton.
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