Testing for avian flu among Wisconsin dairy cows is being reduced, thanks to recent changes at both state and federal levels.
But one animal health expert worries that reduced support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture could leave continued surveillance of the highly-contagious virus on shaky ground.
Over the last two years, the USDA has required producers to test lactating cows for avian flu prior to moving them between states. But federal officials recently removed that requirement for farms in states considered “unaffected” under a federal avian flu surveillance program called the National Milk Testing Strategy. That means that cows leaving Wisconsin or coming into the state from the other 41 “unaffected” states will also not have to be tested for the virus. Read more