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Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a Federal Order designed to reduce the risk of HPAI (H5N1) spreading among cattle and poultry. The Federal Order will be effective Monday, April 29, 2024 and requires:
- Mandatory testing for interstate movement of dairy cattle
- These steps will be immediately required for lactating dairy cattle. USDA requirements for other classes of dairy cattle will be based on scientific factors concerning the virus and its evolving risk profile.
- Mandatory reporting of positive tests
- Laboratories must report positive Influenza A nucleic acid detection diagnostic results (e.g. PCR or genetic sequencing) in livestock to USDA APHIS
- Laboratories must report positive influenza A serology diagnostic results in livestock to USDA APHIS
In the press release about the order, USDA stated, "The novel movement of H5N1 between wild birds and dairy cows requires further testing and time to develop a critical understanding to support any future courses of action. This Federal Order is critical to increasing the information available for USDA. Requiring positive test reporting will help USDA better under this disease and testing before interstate movement will limit its spread."
USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) has confirmed the presence of HPAI (H5N1) in dairy herds in Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, and Texas. Access the full list of H5N1 detections in livestock.
USDA is publishing additional guidance on the Federal Order in the coming days and DATCP will share that as it is available.
Additionally, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released an update on the ongoing work to ensure continued effectiveness of the federal-state milk safety system. The FDA and USDA continue to emphasize that the commercial milk supply is safe because of the required diversion or destruction of milk from sick cows and the pasteurization process. Pasteurization has continuously proven to inactivate bacteria and viruses in milk.
DATCP is closely monitoring HPAI (H5N1) in dairy cattle with both state and federal counterparts. As a reminder, DATCP encourages producers that notice unusual clinical signs in their cattle to work with their herd veterinarian. To report herds with unexplained symptoms, veterinarians should contact DATCP at (608) 224-4872 (business hours) or (800) 943-0003 (after hours and weekends).
For more information and resources:
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
Division of Animal Health
https://datcp.wi.gov
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