Nationwide milk testing ordered for bird flu. Why isn’t WA first on the list?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will test raw milk samples to track the spread of avian influenza after more than 700 dairy herds in 15 states tested positive for the highly pathogenic virus.
There was no sign of the virus in Washington in two rounds of voluntary testing by members of the Northwest Diary Association, state officials said.
The USDA testing, announced Friday, is national in scope but will start in just six states: Oregon, California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi and Pennsylvania.
While Washington isn’t in the first round, Oregon’s dairy industry is closely connected to the Mid-Columbia. Five of its top 10 dairies are in Umatilla and Morrow counties, south of the Tri-Cities, according to The Oregonian.
Egg farms hit hard already
Avian influenza, or H5N1, rampaged through commercial egg farms in the Tri-Cities region this fall after first appearing in backyard flocks in the state in 2022.
State officials say that strain is not the same as the one found in dairy herds.
In October, a farm in Franklin County euthanized 800,000 chickens and destroyed eggs after several workers tested positive for the avian flu.
As of Dec. 6, there were 11 confirmed cases of people being sickened by avian flu in Washington and three suspected cases, according to the state Department of Health. The strain circulates naturally in wildlife and is thought to have spread to domestic birds.
H5N1 was first detected in dairy cattle in March 2024, the first time the bird flu viruses had been found in cows, according to the USDA.
The state’s department of agriculture said extensive testing has given no indication of the virus in Washington so far.
More than 600 raw milk samples collected from 165 members of the Northwest Dairy Association tested negative in two rounds. The state will test nonmember dairies in January.
Identifying states, herds
Under the federal testing program, dairies, processors and others involved with the production, processing and distribution of milk are required to send raw samples to the USDA for testing on request.
Testing will help identify which states and specific herds are affected by H5N1 and inform measures to reduce the risk of transmission to other livestock and, critically, to protect farm workers from being exposed.
“This additional step is needed to proactively support effective biosecurity measures, which is key for states and farmers to contain and eliminate H5N1 infections from their livestock and to eliminate (aviation influenza) in livestock across the U.S. dairy population,” the USDA said.
The federal order also requires owners of herds with cattle that test positive to provide information to enable tracing and disease surveillance. It also requires private laboratories and state veterinaries to share positive results with the USDA.
The first round of federal testing begins the week of Dec. 16.
Individual states will be placed in one of five stages depending on the prevalence of H5N1. The results and progress toward eliminating infections will be shared at the USDA’s Livestock Testing site.
Washington expects to be classified as a low-threat state thanks to initial testing by the industry.
Amber Betts, spokeswoman for the state ag department, said it expects to achieve “unaffected” status quickly.
The Centers for Disease Control reports 15 states have experienced outbreaks in dairy cows affecting a total of 720 herds since the onset of the outbreak: California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
In the past 30 days, there have been no new reported cases in Washington, Oregon, Idaho or Montana. California had 269.
The spread to cows is new, but the USDA has tracked the virus in more than 200 mammals.
Dairy is a top agricultural product for Washington, tied with livestock for second place at $1.3 billion in 2023, according to the state Department of Commerce. Apples were the top value crop at $2 billion.
This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Nationwide milk testing ordered for bird flu. Why isn’t WA first on the list?."