By Ed Maltby, NODPA Executive Director, updated 7/30/2024
H5N1 is one of several influenza viruses that cause a highly infectious respiratory disease in birds called avian influenza (or "bird flu"). Since 2022, there have been increasing reports of deadly outbreaks among mammals also caused by influenza A(H5) – including influenza A(H5N1) – viruses. Both land and sea mammals have been affected, including outbreaks in farmed fur animals, seals, sea lions, and detections in other wild and domestic animals such as foxes, bears, otters, raccoons, cats, dogs, cows, goats and others.
Despite the long time that the trifecta of agencies (USDA, FDA, CDC) took to recognize and act on it, bird flu, H5N1, does exist in dairy cows and is transmitted by cows’ milk, contact between cows and milking equipment and to humans who work closely with cows.Examining tissues of infected dairy cattle revealed that both the cows’ mammary glands and respiratory tissues had receptors for flu strains that originated from birds, as well as humans and pigs, ISU said in a news release explaining the research. It is present in raw milk from sick cows but currently there are no reports of human sickness from drinking raw milk. Authorities advise consumers not to drink raw milk and have completed rigorous testing on pasteurized milk published on June 28, 2024, including the standard High Temperature Short Time (HTST), that show that the virus is not active once it is pasteurized. While the research did not cover Extended Shelf Live (ESL) and Ultra-high-temperature (UHT) pasteurization which takes the milk to a higher temperature, the assumption is that if the minimum works in killing the virus, the higher temperature would also. From an organic certification point of view, state and federal spokespeople have repeatedly stated that there is not a greater threat to cows that spend more time on pasture.
Testing of lactating animals that travel within each state is controlled by the state and producers need to contact the state veterinary officer to get advice on which animals need to be tested, especially if traveling to fairs. Common sense biosecurity measures that reflect the risk in your area should be put into place on all dairy farms. There is mandatory testing for interstate movement of lactating dairy cattle. USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has release a study tht supports the conclusion " that respiratory transmission is not a primary route of infection within farms." The best advice on what you need to do is from your own vet or, if selling at auction, your local auction, as requirements and implementation vary depending on state regulations and if there are any contaminated herds in the state. If you are selling raw milk, you will be at risk of suspicion if there are any positive tests in consumers, so protecting your liability through risk management and biosecurity is essential. Testing your lactating cows would seem to be a good precaution for raw milk sales, especially if any recent purchases have been made or you are situated close to any size of poultry operation. The testing has to be done by a veterinarian. USDA is reimbursing fees for veterinarians to collect samples from April 29, 2024 (the date the Federal Order went into effect), up to $2,000 per premise and up to $50 per shipment for 2 shipments per month.
From July 1, 2024 until January 30, 2025, USDA will reimburse for loss production for infected herds through its updated Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP). Applications will go through USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). To apply, producers need to submit proof of herd infection through a confirmed positive H5N1 test (based on USDA’s APHIS H5N1 case definition) on individual animal or bulk tank samples and an application for payment certifying the number of eligible adult dairy cows, the month the cows were removed from production, and the producer’s share in the milk production. The sample collection date for the positive H5N1 test will be the start date for reimbursement. The rate of reimbursement will be calculated by multiplying the days of estimated loss by the average national milk production per head during the month that the dairy producer files for herd infection multiplied by the national average milk price per hundredweight, or all-milk price. Cows are expected to have a 21-day period of no milk production, as the cow is removed from the herd, followed by a 7 day period of the cow producing milk at 50pc of normal production, according to the program. Argus Direct calculated the reimbursement for April 2024 as: “A dairy producer with 100pc share in milk production certifies that 75 eligible cattle were removed from production in April 2024, the producer would receive $24,809.39 from the program. The expected daily production for April is 73.18 pounds of milk per cow, multiplied by 21 days at full value and 7 days at 50pc value to equal 1,792.91 pounds of milk per cow. That amount is then multiplied by the all-milk price for April at $0.205 per pound, resulting in a payment rate of $367.55 per cow. The per cow payment rate is then multiplied by the number of eligible cattle removed, the producer's share in milk production, then by 90pc to result in the total payment amount of $24,809.39.” An organically certified producer will not get the organic pay price but will get the higher pounds of milk per cow. Every producer will have to assess the impact of the virus on their herd, the challenge and time spent in dealing with federal reimbursement through FSA at the state level and the resulting effect of state and federal monitoring of an affected herd.
At the time of writing, the USDA has reported 178 dairy cow herds across 13 US states with confirmed cases of H5N1. These are reported cases, and the assumption is that both clinically and sub-clinically the virus is in many more herds. Four human cases of employees working with lactating cows have been reported, plus at least 10 from those working with chickens with clinical symptoms, some with respiratory problems. Most research show that the virus is under reported amounst farm workers. As of July 22, 2024 dairy cow farms in the state of Colorado must submit weekly bulk-tank samples for testing to monitor the spread of the virus. Any dairy that has a non-negative bulk tank test result will be placed under quarantine.
The University of Michigan has published an article from a producer who has been affected and a summary of what happened to his farm is below. It began in a barn with two pens of cattle that had three water fountains, the center one being shared. Initial symptoms were detected with the SmaXtec monitoring boluses that they currently have in about 90% of lactating cows. The onset was manifested by a spike in body temperature of 4 to 5 degrees above normal, followed by a decrease in rumination 6 hours later. The decrease of rumination in infected cows was severe with almost no activity occurring. The milk shows a change in consistency, thicker and often yellowish to brown, resembling colostrum. Some animals are showing flakes in milk, which are generally an indication of mastitis. Cows with severe disease are affected in all quarters; some cows are affected in only 1 or 2 quarters. There is widespread increase in milk conductivity. The temperature elevation lasted about two days, and there was a sharp drop in water intake by infected cows from 40-50 gallons to 5–10 gallons. per day. These conditions resulted in severe dehydration in cows. The farm took an aggressive approach to supportive therapy, administering aspirin boluses twice a day to reduce temperature and inflammation. Additionally, they provided Vitamin B and a rumen yeast capsule for a minimum of three days. For cows that refused to drink, they administered hypertonic saline IV. They tried IV Banamine on a limited number of cows but did not see any positive impact. Their goal was to make the cows as comfortable as possible. They wanted to try to confine the disease to a single group or at least a single barn. They changed their wash cycle in milking so that it washed after this group of cows. Regardless of their efforts, H5N1 spread to all groups of lactating cattle on the farm. For the first nine days, milk production per cow only decreased by about 5 lbs. and the farm was optimistic they had beaten back the disease. However, by day 12 each cow was producing 21 lbs. less than average, accompanied by a doubling of somatic cell count to 180,000 c/ml. Cows were dehydrated with sunken eyes. Day 15 was the first day that the monitoring report showed fewer cows affected than the day before. Based on the number of cows with elevated temperatures and subtracting out the normal rate, they believe 40% of the lactating herd was infected. By day 24, the farmer said that some cows—approximately 10% that became infected—have not recovered rumen activity. It is likely that these cows will be culled because they are not regaining weight and health. It appears that there are some individual cows that have a “long” form of the disease. He estimates the cost for this herd of approximately 500 cows at $30,000 – $40,000.
The best website for information is: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/livestock or subscribe to ODAIRY at: /p/57/Signing-Up-For-or-Logging-Into-ODairy
Posted: to Organic Production on Sat, Jul 13, 2024
Updated: Mon, Aug 5, 2024
