Dairy farmers across the United States are taking extra precautions in protecting their cattle from the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. While it may seem unusual for cattle to contract bird flu, it has happened currently in seven states including Texas, Kansas, Ohio, Michigan, Idaho, New Mexico and now North Carolina.
Reuters caught up with seven dairy farmers in five states to learn about how they are protecting their animals. According to their report, three of the seven farmers are surpassing government recommendations. Karen Jordan has more than 200 cattle on a farm in North Carolina. She said they, “think of our farm now as a gated community for cows. Only the most essential person can get past the gate.”
Biosecurity measures were already being taken even before the breakout of bird flu. Jordan limited the number of visitors that came through the farm at the risk of spreading the disease through bird feces. She also cut down 40 small trees so birds would not be drawn to the farm.
Reuters also spoke to farmers in other states without confirmed cases. “In Fort Branch, Ind., Steve Obert, 61, is requiring drivers to spray truck wheels with disinfectant before he allows them on his farm. He raises about 1,200 cows that produce milk for Dairy Farmers of America, a cooperative of more than 6,000 farms,” they reported, adding that, “In Rockford, Ill., 43-year-old farmer Brent Pollard, who supplies milk to cooperative Prairie Farms, is keeping a calf he bought for his daughter from Wisconsin in isolation for 21 days.”
The USDA notes that the transmission of bird flu from animals to humans is rare. However, there have been two confirmed cases of avian influenza in humans in the United States, stemming from this recent dairy cattle outbreak.
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