Pennsylvania requires ‘precautionary’ testing of dairy farm milk for avian influenza

Under the new testing mandate, milk samples will be taken from tanker trucks that collect and transport milk from local dairy farms to larger processing plants for pasteurization.

The milk samples will then be sent to the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System.

If samples test positive for the virus, “it will trigger further investigation to identify the source” and “special quarantine measures will be established to contain and eliminate the virus at the source,” state officials said in a press release.

“We’ve seen in other states that the virus shows up in milk before cows show clinical signs of illness,” State Veterinarian Alex Hamberg said in a statement. “Rigorous biosecurity, including disinfecting [farmworkers’] boots, equipment, vehicles and using footbaths at barn entryways is critical.”

Most of the testing responsibilities will be carried out by tank shippers or processing plant companies. What individual dairy farmers can do, Sebright said, is to have a plan in place should their milk ever test positive for avian flu.

“They would have to demonstrate that they have a strong biosecurity plan in place to show how they are going to limit the spread,” Sebright said. “And they would have to have that to get a permit to continue to move milk [to production].”

Milk that comes from infected cattle is safe to drink and consume after it’s been pasteurized, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In efforts to prevent avian flu from infecting Pennsylvania cattle, the state also issued a quarantine order in April that requires dairy cattle to be tested when entering the state from elsewhere, especially areas with confirmed cases.