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Vermont dairy farms are now declared free of bird flu by the USDA.
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All Vermont Grade A milk was tested, with no infections found.
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This makes Vermont the first New England state to achieve this status.
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A raw milk cheese sampling program, with 100% voluntary participation, also showed no bird flu.
Vermont dairy farmers have achieved what the Agency of Agriculture called a “critical benchmark” from the U.S. Department of Agriculture − a declaration by USDA that Vermont is unaffected by bird flu, according to a news release.
This winter, the Agency of Agriculture began a new milk sampling program mandated by the USDA to identify avian influenza-infected dairy cattle, commonly known as bird flu. The Agency had another goal, which was to test all Vermont Grade A milk directly from each supplying dairy farm.
As of May 9, the test did not reveal any dairy cattle infected with bird flu, which led to the declaration by the USDA that Vermont is unaffected by bird flu. Vermont is the first state in New England to achieve this status.
The cheese makers know they’re in the clear too when it comes to bird flu
The Agency of Agriculture worked closely with 411 farms across the state, visiting each of them. Federal resources are covering the cost of the testing program, so Vermont dairy farmers did not incur any expenses for the testing.
The USDA is trying to find and eradicate any unknown pockets of dairy cattle infected with bird flu in the United States. preventing the virus from mutating into a strain that could threaten human health.
As part of the sampling program, Vermont also began weekly sampling for raw milk cheese makers. The program samples source farm milk to ensure the milk cheese makers utilize to make their cheeses is free of bird flu. The program was created in collaboration with the Agency of Agriculture, with 100% of Vermont’s raw milk cheese makers voluntarily participating.
“This sampling program is a first-of-its-kind system built by a team of Vermonters who wanted to bring peace of mind and protection to our dairy farmers, food processors and cheese makers,” E.B. Flory, Agency of Agriculture’s dairy section chief and director of food safety, said in a news release. “Our dairy cattle are healthy and producing the highest quality of milk for market.”
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