The H5-N1 virus, commonly known as bird flu, is currently impacting more than just birds in the U.S.
The USDA is reporting cases of the virus in raw milk from California dairy cows. The news has Arizona dairy farmers like Craig Caballero on high alert.
“When it comes next to your borders in California, it’s more concerning,” Caballero, CEO of United Dairymen of Arizona, said.
According to Caballero, H5-N1 in dairy cows poses a risk only for individuals who consume raw milk. Pasteurization effectively eliminates the virus, making store-bought milk safe to drink.
Caballero said the main issue with this virus is how it affects the cows themselves.
“The herds that do get it. It affects their production per cow and it is a financial detriment to those herds,” he said.
This is because cows tend to eat less and drink less when they are sick. The virus can affect a herd for three to four weeks and, in very rare cases, be deadly.
“Those herds that got infected mortality can be around 3% so not a huge number but still a concern,” Caballero said.
Following the recent California cases this week, the USDA announced nationwide testing for the virus in raw milk from dairy cows.
The first round of testing begins in California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. They will then move on to other states to look for areas affected by the virus.
The USDA will then work with those areas to prevent the virus from spreading.
Caballero said that while there are no reported cases in Arizona, they’ve already been taking precautions to keep cows safe and healthy from the virus.
“Cleaning and sanitizing boots and vehicles when they go from one farm to another farm. We sanitize the wheels and wheel wells of the vehicles,” he said.
Again, pasteurized milk is still ok to drink. Caballero believes this virus should not impact milk prices in Arizona.
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