PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Highly pathogenic avian influenza, or avian flu for short, is making its way onto dairy farms across the country.
Although no confirmed cases have been reported in Pennsylvania, the state is taking every step to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Earlier in April, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture issued a quarantine order placing restrictions on out-of-state dairy farms with avian flu cases.
Grant Gulibon with the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau describes the action as a preemptive effort to stop the virus from spreading to Pennsylvania dairy farms.
“The state is, through an abundance of caution, putting in place movement restrictions on cattle coming from out-of-state and requiring pre-movement testing for any herds that might eventually make their way into Pennsylvania,” Gulibon said.
The Farm Bureau has been watching the virus since it was identified in Texas.
Dan Baumgardner, owner of Barrens View Farm in York County, first heard about the issue weeks ago.
“At that time, they didn’t know it was bird flu, they were just saying they were having trouble there in Texas and New Mexico with something that was causing problems in dairy cows, but they didn’t know what it was at the time,” Baumgardner said.
Avian flu isn’t fatal to dairy cows but can disrupt normal milk production.
Wild birds called waterfowl can carry the virus and interact with dairy cattle accidentally.
“If you got cattle out on pasture they can come in contact with geese and ducks, but even in the barns, you got sparrows flying in and out of the barns and sometimes an occasional pigeon,” Baumgardner said.
Despite the risk of infection in dairy cows, it’s unlikely to transfer to people.
“Everything that’s going through the pasteurization process, that’s going to kill viruses such as HPAI and make sure that it doesn’t make its way into the milk or dairy supply,” Gulibon said.
The Farm Bureau encourages farmers to stay vigilant and report any unusual behavior from dairy cattle.
“If it does come, I don’t feel like it’s an end-all, some cows do recover, you might have to sell others,” Baumgardner said.
There is no timeline since the Bureau and Department of Agriculture are continuing to monitor the spread of viruses, although they are providing updates online.