Pennsylvania - Avian Influenza in Mammals & Livestock

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Penn State testing dairy herd for avian flu

Updated: 8:02 AM EDT Jul 22, 2024
Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences says they are are testing the university's dairy herd for avian influenza out of "an abundance of caution."

The announcement comes as an outbreak of bird flu has affected dairy cattle in more than a dozen states since March, a statement from the college said.

The testing will done through a voluntary state testing program, which is aimed at getting data on the status of dairy herds in Pennsylvania and detecting bird flu as quickly as possible.

"The state herd monitoring program calls for conducting a weekly test of milk from a farm for three weeks," Penn State Extension veterinarian Ernest Hovingh said in a statement. "If all tests are negative and no clinical signs of the disease are observed, the herd is considered 'unaffected.' At that point, weekly testing would continue, to ensure that the herd remains free of the virus."

For herds that are not part of the testing program, those animals do have to be tested before crossing state lines.

"Because Penn State does not move dairy cows across state lines, our herd has not been subjected to testing so far," Hovingh said. "But participating in this program will allow us to determine if our herd is in fact HPAI-free, as strongly expected, and also will provide additional data to inform state and national surveillance efforts."

The college says the chances of a positive test are remote, but if it happens, Penn State and state officials will "immediately investigate further."

The test results will be released after a series of three weekly tests have been completed.

https://www.wgal.com/article/penn-state-dairy-cows-avian-flu-testing/61661868

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Excerpts:
September 12, 2024

Penn State Dairy Herd Is Free Of Avian Flu

After three weeks of testing as required under a state monitoring program for bird flu in dairy cattle, animal health experts in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences revealed that the university’s dairy herd has been certified as free of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI.

“The Penn State dairy herd has achieved ‘monitored herd’ status under the Pennsylvania Lactating Dairy Cow Health Monitoring Program,” said extension veterinarian Ernest Hovingh, clinical professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences and director of Penn State’s Animal Diagnostic Laboratory. “This means the herd has met all program requirements, including having multiple negative weekly test results for the HPAI virus.”
-snip-

“It’s a very simple process to take a sample and submit it to the lab,” Werner said, “and there’s no charge for the testing, since that’s covered by the USDA’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network.”

Hovingh and Werner noted that Penn State is pleased to be on the leading edge in having its dairy cattle tested for avian flu in support of state and national surveillance efforts.

“By testing our herd, we hope to have set an example for others to participate in the Lactating Dairy Cow Health Monitoring Program,” Hovingh said. “Besides confirming our expectation that our herd is free of avian flu, one of our goals was to inspire dairy producers across the state to test their herds too, so Pennsylvania animal health authorities can document that the state is in fact HPAI-free, as well as detect any outbreak that might occur and nip it in the bud before it has a chance to spread.”

https://www.mcheraldonline.com/story/2024/09/12/news/penn-state-dairy-herd-is-free-of-avian-flu/17549.html

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Media
10/16/24
Pennsylvania Wants More Milk Processors to Test for Avian Influenza

Pennsylvania ag officials are hoping to persuade more dairy processors to participate in milk testing for avian influenza.

Ag Department leaders were set to meet with processors Oct. 18 to see if companies would cooperate on testing, Deputy Ag Secretary Lisa Graybeal said in an Oct. 11 poultry industry call.

If the Ag Department doesn’t get the buy-in it wants, it will consider implementing a mandatory testing regime.

“That will be part of the discussion if we don’t feel like we can get some agreement among all the parties,” Graybeal said.

One of the biggest hindrances to stopping the outbreak has been the farms themselves. Dairy farms have limited the information available to scientists and have had obvious lapses in biosecurity, according to a USDA researcher.

After several months of promoting a voluntary bulk tank testing program, the state has managed to recruit just eight dairy farms and one western Pennsylvania processor covering 80 farms.

Those participants represent less than 2% of the dairy farms in the state. Pennsylvania has the second most dairy farms in the country.

The state needs data from about 460 farms for the information to be statistically robust, Graybeal said.

State Veterinarian Dr. Alex Hamberg is also involved in a study that is starting up to test milk silos across the Mid-Atlantic, she said.

continued: https://www.lancasterfarming.com/far...75761623d.html

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Link to quarantine order effective today https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copap...11.20.2024.pdf

November 20, 2024
Department of Agriculture

Pennsylvania Requires Precautionary Bulk Milk Testing at Processing Plants to Protect Dairy, Poultry Industries from Avian Influenza


At no cost to farmers, collective samples from milk tankers will aid early virus detection.

Surveillance testing will help prevent the spread of HPAI. No cases have been detected in Pennsylvania cattle to this point.

Harrisburg, PA – Today, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced that Pennsylvania will now require precautionary bulk testing of milk for HPAI from Pennsylvania farms as an added measure to prevent the spread of avian influenza. No virus has been detected in Pennsylvania cattle, but cases continue to rise in other states.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is taking this preventative measure, at no cost to farmers, to pinpoint and contain the source of viral infections and prevent the spread of Influenza A, including highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). Procedures are detailed in a quarantine order effective today. Several other states have implemented mandatory bulk testing of milk to reduce the spread of HPAI, including California, Colorado, Michigan, and Oklahoma.

This testing plan was developed in close consultation with dairy and poultry farmers to minimize the impact on their operations.

The measure is announced as more than 217 new cases in three states have been confirmed in dairy cattle in the last 30 days. Not typically fatal in dairy cattle, HPAI can severely affect milk production, lead to serious illness in some cows, and substantially strain farm operations. The virus is fatal in poultry.

“Taking this proactive step will ensure that we can protect our cattle, poultry, and farmworkers,” Secretary Redding said. “We are taking this step after careful consideration, in consultation with dairy and poultry farmers, and after voluntary testing was not adequate to get samples necessary for detection and prevention. Pennsylvania’s large number of farms with both dairy cattle and poultry present unique risks that demand extra vigilance.”

Milk samples will be collected from bulk milk tank trucks transporting milk from Pennsylvania farms to processing plants. If the receiving processing plant is in Pennsylvania, the sample will be collected at the plant by the processor. If the processing plant is outside Pennsylvania, the sample will be collected by the shipper, whether the shipper is an individual farmer or milk cooperative handling milk on behalf of farmers. Samples must have been taken by trained, certified personnel and submitted to a Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System lab within 48 hours of collection.

Samples will be tested for HPAI. If the virus is detected, it will trigger further investigation to identify the source. Special quarantine measures will be established to contain and eliminate the virus at the source.

Pennsylvania joins only three states without an active HPAI outbreak – Arkansas, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma – in requiring precautionary testing at the processor level. Milk that has been pasteurized is safe to drink. Pasteurization destroys the virus. This measure will help ensure an adequate supply of milk in the marketplace.

This new measure adds to requirements already in place to help prevent the spread of HPAI. In April 2024, Pennsylvania led the nation in issuing a Quarantine Order requiring testing of dairy cattle entering the state when HPAI was first detected in herds in other states. Pennsylvania’s strategic move was soon followed by USDA and other states.

Poultry and dairy are the two largest sectors among Pennsylvania’s $132.5 billion agriculture industry, which supports more than 593,000 jobs statewide.

“For the past 20 weeks, Turner's has been voluntarily participating in bulk milk testing to ensure we are doing our part to limit the spread of HPAI,” said Turner Dairy Farms President Chuck Turner. “Without that knowledge we cannot take appropriate action to prevent the spread to neighboring farms. We feel we have a responsibility to our family dairy partners, employees, and consumers to do the right thing to ensure safety and mitigate negative impacts to the industry. I appreciate the leadership of the PA Department of Ag to prevent the spread of avian flu, and believe they are making the right decision to require bulk milk testing.”

Turner Dairy is a major milk producer and processor in Penn Hills, in Allegheny County.

“Increased, proactive testing is the only way to confirm that we don’t have the virus in Pennsylvania dairy cows or catch it early and stamp it out if we do, so farms can quickly get back to normal,” said State Veterinarian Dr. Alex Hamberg. “We’ve seen in other states that the virus shows up in milk before cows show clinical signs of illness. The virus has spread in other states by moving dairy cows from one farm to another, then it has spread among cows. It can be carried on contaminated equipment, trucks, and farmworkers’ footwear and clothing moving between farms and buildings. Rigorous biosecurity, including disinfecting boots, equipment, and vehicles, and using footbaths at barn entryways is critical.”

In addition to the nation-leading quarantine order and this precautionary testing, the Shapiro Administration continues to work with federal, state, local, and industry partners to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from animal diseases, including HPAI. The PA Centers for Dairy Excellence, and Poultry & Livestock Excellence, along with the PA Departments of Agriculture and Health, and Penn State Extension partner for regular monthly updates for the dairy and poultry farmers and processors to keep the industry and their workforce and consumers safe.

The Administration has also made key investments in bolstering agriculture’s infrastructure and workforce to protect the industry from future disease outbreaks and recover losses from avian influenza. Those investments include the nation’s only special fund to improve biosecurity and help poultry farmers recover losses not covered by the federal government, the expansion of veterinary lab services in Western PA to speed diagnosis and response to disease outbreaks, and funding to research and implement cutting-edge technology that can help detect and prevent future outbreaks.

Detailed information on avian influenza, biosecurity, quarantines, and other measures to protect Pennsylvania agriculture can be found here.

https://www.pa.gov/en/agencies/pda/newsroom/pa-requires-bulk-milk-testing-to-protect-dairy--poultry-industri.html