USDA will begin testing raw milk nationwide in an effort to combat the spread of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu.

“Since the first HPAI detection in livestock, USDA has collaborated with our federal, state and industry partners to swiftly and diligently identify affected herds and respond accordingly,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says. “This new milk testing strategy will build on those steps to date and will provide a roadmap for states to protect the health of their dairy herds.”

According to Vilsack, the new testing requirements will give farmers and farm workers better assurances of their animals’ safety and their own. He says it will also help to better control and prevent the spread of H5N1 across the country.

Starting immediately, USDA will begin nationwide sampling of dairy processing facility milk silos to help determine where the disease is present. The first states to be included in the program will be California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania. Based on the results of those tests, USDA will work to determine what herds in each state are affected.

In states where bird flu is detected, USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service will work to identify specific cases and take rapid response measures. APHIS will continue sampling milk from those farms’ bulk tanks to ensure the disease does not reemerge.

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After states move through that four-phase process, APHIS will continue periodic sampling and testing to confirm the long-term absence of the disease.

Agency officials say the new testing requirements build upon previous efforts to address bird flu. Despite those efforts, cases continue to spread. As of Dec. 9, there have been 58 confirmed human cases of bird flu in the U.S. Over the past month, more than 260 cases on dairy farms have been reported. The majority of those were in California, which has also seen 23 positive H5N1 cases in poultry.

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra says USDA’s new testing strategy is a critical part of ongoing efforts to protect the health and safety of individuals and communities nationwide.

“Our primary responsibility at HHS is to protect public health and the safety of the food supply, and we continue to work closely with USDA and all stakeholders on continued testing for H5N1 in retail milk and dairy samples from across the country to ensure the safety of the commercial pasteurized milk supply,” Becerra says. “We will continue this work with USDA for as long and as far as necessary.”

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