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.”
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“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