2025 went by quickly and was another busy year of protecting animal health in Minnesota. Unfortunately, some things didn't change much and we began and ended the year officially responding to avian influenza (HPAI). Other events were less persistent and ushered in some new challenges we haven't faced before and we are stepping up our defenses to prevent some old ones. Here's the highlight reel of some of our year:

• H5N1 was detected in a dairy herd in March 2025. H5N1 is the same virus that causes highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry. The Board responded and there were no other detections in 2025.
• The Minnesota legislature convened last winter/spring and the Board testified at several hearings to outline specific diseases and our mission.
• Equine Herpesvirus is a highly infectious disease in horses and was discovered in a couple horses in Minnesota last spring. Nationally, there was a major EHV-1 outbreak originating in Texas and Oklahoma in November.
• The push to transition to electronic continues (see stories below for more detail) for Certificates of Veterinary Inspection and ear tags.
• New World Screwworm is a pest and threat to livestock. Although no detections were reported in Minnesota, we stood up our guard and pushed vigilance to livestock owners, people traveling with pets, and veterinarians to make sure it isn't introduced into our state.
• Tularemia is a bacterial threat to both animals and humans. Unfortunately, we tracked increased disease in companion animals and set a new record of confirmations of 33 cases in Minnesota (the previous high was 28 cases).
• West Nile Virus is a seasonal threat to Minnesota's animals because of how the virus circulates among birds and mosquitos. We most often report cases in horses and this year was no exception. There is a vaccine available for WNV and nearly all of our cases are reported in unvaccinated or under-vaccinated animals.
• Every 10 years the Board renews all registered livestock brands. Current brand owners were notified and many went through the renewal process before the December deadline this year.
• Our seven-member Board meets quarterly every year and all meeting minutes and video recordings are available on our website (see end of this newsletter).