Outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, have hit poultry and cattle farms in the country, and Pennsylvania is taking preventative measures with bulk testing of milk.

As of Tuesday, Nov. 26, the state’s Department of Agriculture requires milk tank trucks to submit at least one sample to a Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System lab within 48 hours. The process will be at no cost to farmers.

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If HPAI is detected, the department will establish a special quarantine on the farm where the sample originated. All dairy cattle herds inside the quarantine zone will undergo additional sampling and testing. 

The virus is not typically fatal for dairy cattle like it is for poultry, but it can lead to serious illnesses for some cows and slow down milk production. Milk from infected cattle is still safe to drink after it is pasteurized.

“Increased, proactive testing is the only way to confirm that we don’t have the virus in Pennsylvania dairy cows or catch it early and stamp it out if we do, so farms can quickly get back to normal,” State Veterinarian Dr. Alex Hamberg said.

Pennsylvania has no confirmed cases of HPAI, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture said there have been 286 cases in cattle across two states (California and Utah) in the past 30 days. The state joins three others (Arkansas, Massachusetts and Oklahoma) that don’t have an outbreak but have ordered mandatory testing of milk samples.

“Taking this proactive step will ensure that we can protect our cattle, poultry, and farmworkers,” Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “We are taking this step after careful consideration, in consultation with dairy and poultry farmers, and after voluntary testing was not adequate to get samples necessary for detection and prevention. Pennsylvania’s large number of farms with both dairy cattle and poultry present unique risks that demand extra vigilance.”

According to the state Department of Agriculture, poultry and dairy are the two largest sectors in the state’s $132.5 billion agriculture industry.

In California, the virus was found in raw milk sold in stores, and the state’s Department of Public Health issued a recall and urged citizens not to drink the product. The CDC also confirmed that a child in California was infected and has recovered from the bird flu.

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