(The Center Square) – All herds of commercial dairy cows will be required to submit weekly samples from tanks to test for avian flu, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
The state confirmed 47 dairy herds with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, the most in the country and the only state with more than five cases. The state reported 23 livestock herds were quarantined in early July. The state’s dairy industry accounted for approximately $1.3 billion in 2022 revenue.
The state reported the infections are a spillover from commercial poultry facilities. The state reported two spillover events that were confirmed by genomic sequencing and another is presumed to be a spillover. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported three commercial poultry flocks and two backyard flocks, resulting in the death and depopulation of more than 3.4 million birds, were reported in Weld County.
“We have been navigating this challenging, novel outbreak of HPAI in dairy operations for nearly three months in Colorado and have not been able to curb the spread of disease at this point,” Dr. Maggie Baldwin, the state veterinarian, said in a statement announcing the mandate. “We have seen devastating impacts of this disease not only to our dairy industry, but our poultry industry as well. With the strong support of the dairy and poultry industries, we feel that this is the best next step in order to protect these vital industries in our state.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration stated there’s no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply because of the pasteurization of milk products before entering the market.
All dairy cow facilities licensed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment with lactating dairy cattle producing products for human consumption will be required to submit weekly samples from bulk tanks for testing. The Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory will be testing the samples.
Herds currently under quarantine must submit samples. Raw milk facilities aren’t required to comply.
Any dairy with positive bulk tank test results will be placed under quarantine according to state law.
“Any failure or refusal to comply will result in immediate referral to the Colorado Office of the Attorney General for civil enforcement and to local law enforcement for criminal enforcement,” according to the order.
The order covers a wide range of milk products: fluid milk, butter, pasteurized cheese and cheese products, frozen desserts, ice cream, pasteurized ice cream, dry whole milk, nonfat dry milk, dry buttermilk, dry whey, evaporated milk (whole or skim), condensed whole milk (excluding sweetened condensed milk), condensed skim milk, cottage cheese, dry curd cottage cheese, low-fat cottage cheese, and other such products for human consumption.
The first detection of avian flu in dairy cattle this year was in March in Texas. The virus spread to 13 states and impacted more than 168 dairies.
Dairy cattle infected with the virus appear to recover with supportive care, according to the Colorado Department of Health and Environment. Symptoms of infection in cattle include loss of appetite and reduced milk production.
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