Tag: bird flu

NMPF Pushes for Vaccine as USDA Unveils Bird Flu Plan Dairy Cattle

Posted on by Theresa Sweeney

USDA’s announcement Feb. 26 of an additional billion dollars to combat H5N1 bird flu was welcomed in the dairy and poultry communities, as NMPF and its counterparts at the International Dairy Foods Association commended USDA support for vaccines as part of its strategy to eradicate the virus.

“Dairy farmers and cooperatives appreciate USDA’s leadership in supporting American agriculture and safeguarding animal health as it deals with what soon will be a second year of H5N1 bird flu disruptions in dairy cattle. Dairy farmers and all of agriculture takes biosecurity seriously, and we thank USDA and the Trump Administration for actions that will further those efforts,” NMPF President and CEO Gregg Doud said in a statement released jointly with IDFA shortly after USDA’s announcement.

“We support the department’s initiatives to advance vaccine development and deployment that will help control, and ultimately eliminate, the virus in dairy cattle,” he continued. “We also want to remind consumers that, even as dairy farmers are working with veterinarians and officials at all levels of government to eliminate this animal health threat, milk for consumers remains safe to drink because of the effectiveness of pasteurization.”

Groups representing wide swaths of American agriculture have been collaborating as avian influenza continues to destroy poultry flocks and infect and evolve in dairy cattle across the United States, with the leading dairy, turkey, and egg laying associations urging USDA and its federal partners to support development of safe and effective H5Nx vaccinations for dairy cows, turkeys, and egg-laying hens.

The leaders of NMPF, IDFA, United Egg Producers and National Turkey Federation in a Feb. 14 letter to Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins called attention to the urgency of the situation and requested to meet share more with the secretary.

“If this virus continues to circulate among dairy herds, turkey and egg layer operations, wild mammals, wild birds, and people working closely with birds and dairy cows, it will remain a significant and imposing threat to our nation’s food security and, therefore, our national security,” the organizations say in their letter. The letter also highlights the importance of working with international trade partners to ensure “policies reflect the new realities of a world that is constantly combating H5Nx.”

The letter from NMPF and other partners was delivered the same day Zoetis announced that the USDA Center for Veterinary Biologics issued the company a conditional license for its Avian Influenza Vaccine, H5N2 Subtype, Killed Virus, which is labeled for use in chickens. The broiler industry has come out against vaccines to date because of possible effects on trade.

Dairy Groups Applaud Administration Vaccine Support, Thank USDA for Plan

Posted on by Rachel Ravencraft

Leaders from the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) released the following statements today in response to the Trump Administration’s updated response plan for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) that is affecting our nation’s dairy herds.

NMPF President and CEO Gregg Doud said the following: “Dairy farmers and cooperatives appreciate USDA’s leadership in supporting American agriculture and safeguarding animal health as it deals with what soon will be a second year of H5N1 bird flu disruptions in dairy cattle. Dairy farmers and all of agriculture takes biosecurity seriously, and we thank USDA and the Trump Administration for actions that will further those efforts.

“We support the department’s initiatives to advance vaccine development and deployment that will help control, and ultimately eliminate, the virus in dairy cattle. And we also want to remind consumers that, even as dairy farmers are working with veterinarians and officials at all levels of government to eliminate this animal health threat, milk for consumers remains safe to drink because of the effectiveness of pasteurization.”

IDFA President and CEO Michael Dykes, D.V.M., said the following: “The International Dairy Foods Association is grateful to Agriculture Secretary Rollins for investing up to $100 million in new and ongoing research into animal vaccinations and therapeutic tools to manage highly pathogenic avian influenza in our nation’s dairy herds and commercial poultry flocks. We continue to urge USDA and its federal partners to act quickly to develop and approve the use of safe, effective bovine vaccines to guard against current and future strains of avian influenza affecting U.S. dairy. It is essential that the federal government work with our industry to ensure a vaccination strategy is feasible and cost-effective for farmers while working with international trading partners to assure the use of vaccines does not limit or disrupt U.S. agricultural exports.”

 

Nevada Variant shows H5N1 testing at work

Posted on by Alan Bjerga

By Dr. Jamie Jonker, Chief Science Officer, National Milk Producers Federation

Highly pathogenic avian influenza. H5N1. Bird flu. Regardless of what you may call it, this virus has posed significant challenges to dairy farmers over the past year.

Since the first confirmed case of the H5N1 virus in dairy cattle in Texas last March 25, as of February 7, there have been 959 confirmed dairy herds across 16 states. On February 5, USDA announced a new variant of H5N1 in a herd in Nevada. That made one thing even clearer than before: As the virus evolves, so too must we.

The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) has worked closely with federal and state partners, along with industry partners, to share updates and guidance. National Dairy FARM Biosecurity Program resources have provided farms with biosecurity plan templates and educational materials on the best management practices to prevent disease introduction and spread. NMPF also secured grant funding from the National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program to expand the FARM Biosecurity Program and help even more producers and state officials to be prepared in an infectious disease outbreak.

NMPF also participates in weekly and daily stand-up calls with various working groups to help shape policies from the Food and Drug Administration and USDA regarding H5N1 in dairy cattle and dairy products. In December, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced its National Milk Testing Strategy, a surveillance effort aimed at better tracking herd status in states across the country. Testing under the National Milk Testing Strategy began in six states: California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. More states joined in the month following the strategy’s launch, increasing the total to 40 states.

The National Milk Testing Strategy is what led the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) National Veterinary Services Laboratories toward confirming the new variant in Nevada. This genotype, D1.1, is different from genotype B3.13, which had been found in dairy cows until now. USDA APHIS and the Nevada Department of Agriculture are conducting additional on-farm investigation and testing and gathering more epidemiological information to better understand the effects of the new genotype and to limit further disease spread.

Much about the H5N1 virus remains unknown — how it spreads, how it evolves, how it affects cows long-term, and what it all means for humans. While a new variant is concerning, its detection shows that the systems in place for testing and identifying the virus in dairy cows are working as intended. Continued dedication to information sharing among the scientific community, state and federal officials, and everyone in the dairy supply chain is the only way forward.

This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on Feb. 13, 2025.