The US Food and Drug Administration is suspending efforts to improve its bird flu testing of milk, cheese and pet food due to massive staff cuts at the agency, according to an email seen by Reuters and a source familiar with the situation.
The FDA’s testing for bird flu in dairy products has found that pasteurization kills the virus, and has also provided clues to the scope of the virus’s spread. At least two house cats have died after eating raw pet food that later tested positive for bird flu, Reuters reported.
The Department of Health and Human Services, which includes the FDA, on Tuesday began firing 10,000 employees to comply with President Donald Trump’s push to shrink the federal workforce, an effort overseen by billionaire ally Elon Musk.