The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced that all dairy cattle must be tested for HPAI prior to moving across state lines. The USDA order requires a negative test from an approved National Animal Health Laboratory.
A number of recent reports have raised concerns about highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) spreading from poultry to dairy cattle. One dairy worker in Texas reportedly became ill after direct contact with a sick dairy cow and has made a recovery. A recent sampling of the milk supply by the FDA showed 20 percent of pasteurized milk samples contained traces of non-viable avian flu particles.
“We want to strongly emphasize that there is no evidence of potential virus transmission from raw milk to humans,” said FTCLDF Executive Director Alexia Kulwiec.
For further reading Kulwiec recommends a report by medical microbiologist and microbial risk assessor Peg Coleman, that clearly outlines the science and low level of risk associated with HPAI and raw milk.
Coleman’s report cites a 2010 risk assessment by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and USDA which determined that “HPAI is not considered to be a foodborne pathogen, and there is no evidence that drinking milk from an animal that has tested positive has any negative impact on health.”
Other infectious disease scientists have also recently confirmed that influenza is generally not transmitted through food, and the more pressing concern is protecting people like farm workers, who could come into close physical contact with infected animals.
Media Contact:
Alexia Kulwiec, Executive Director
Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund
[email protected]