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.”
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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.
More than $22 million in “Money Match” checks were mailed to nearly 100,000 Pennsylvanians, the treasury said.
In a news release on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Treasury said people should be on the lookout for the checks, which are part of the Pennsylvania Money Match program. Treasurer Stacy Garrity said to cash or deposit the checks “promptly.”
The first Pennsylvania Money Match checks, totaling more than $1.7 million, are now on the way to Pennsylvanians’ mailboxes. Pennsylvania Money Match is a new program that allows Treasury to return certain unclaimed property to rightful owners automatically, which was approved unanimously by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor last year.
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“I want Pennsylvanians to know that this is a real check, it is real money, and it belongs to them,” Garrity said in the news release. “And as always, I still encourage everyone to regularly search for unclaimed property online, as many claims will not qualify for the Money Match process.”
With the mailing of the year’s last batch of checks, more than $50 million will have been returned automatically to Pennsylvanians.
What are Money Match checks?
The program allows the state treasury to automatically return unclaimed property valued up to $500 owned by a single individual. Before the program was created in 2024, residents themselves had to seek out unclaimed property.
“I’m thrilled to continue this program as we work hard to get more money back to its rightful owners,” Garrity said in the news release.
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However, if the property has multiple owners or is valued higher than $500, Pennsylvanians still need to file a claim.
What is unclaimed property?
Unclaimed property includes dormant bank accounts, uncashed checks, forgotten stocks, rebates and insurance policies, among other things. It can also include the contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes.
According to the state treasury, more than one in 10 Pennsylvanians is owed some of the $5 billion in unclaimed property in the treasury’s care, and the average value of a claim is more than $1,000.
Unclaimed property scam
On its website, the state treasury has a warning about scammers using text messages to target potential unclaimed property claimants.
The department “never reaches out to people in regard to any program, including unclaimed property, via unsolicited text messages.”
A special weather statement was issued by the National Weather Service on Friday at 10:06 a.m. until 1 p.m. for Warren, McKean, Elk, Cameron, Clearfield, Cambria and Somerset counties.
“Temperatures will drop below the freezing mark through midday with rain showers quickly changing to snow showers. Blustery winds may dry off roads and other paved surfaces, but any residual water from previous rain or melting snow could freeze up and result in slick spots through the afternoon,” explains the weather service.
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