Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced today that Pennsylvania’s dairy industry has reached a critical “stage four” milestone granting HPAI-free status in the USDA’s National Milk Testing Strategy, making Pennsylvania the first major U.S. dairy-producing state to achieve this status.
The designation indicates that Pennsylvania’s milk supply has been tested adequately to rule out the presence of the virus in the state’s dairy cattle.
Since Pennsylvania began to require testing of bulk milk samples in late November, 2024, Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System (PADLS) labs have tested more than 22,000 samples, representing nearly 100% of the state’s 4,784 dairy farms. In addition to initiating testing requirements and restrictions for transporting dairy cattle into Pennsylvania following the first detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in dairy cattle in Texas in March 2024, Pennsylvania was also one of the first states to implement a voluntary program for testing lactating dairy cattle.
“Pennsylvania’s food supply is safe and secure, due to a unified, aggressive, and effective response strategy,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “We are not out of the woods yet, and the threat demands that we keep our guard up.”
No infections in dairy cattle or humans have been detected in Pennsylvania to date.
Milk that has been pasteurized is safe to drink. Poultry products and eggs are safe to eat if cooked properly.
HPAI is highly infectious and is generally fatal to domestic birds. Cattle are not sickened to the degree that birds are, but the virus can be spread from cattle to poultry. Infections continue to be detected in dairy cattle in other states. The recent detection of a new strain of H5N1 in Nevada dairy cattle reinforces the importance of continued monitoring.
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