With spring migration in full swing, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship are urging both dairy farmers and poultry producers to heighten their biosecurity protocols and practices, in light of the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
At the same time, the Department says pasteurized milk and dairy products are still safe for consumers.
“Through our daily communications with federal partners and colleagues in other states, as well as with Iowa State University and industry stakeholders, we continue to seek and learn new information about this developing and evolving situation with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.
“There are still many questions that are not yet fully answered, so we will remain closely engaged as we carefully evaluate our response to these changing dynamics. Consumers can feel confident that pasteurized milk and dairy products and properly prepared poultry continue to be safe to enjoy.”
Pasteurization, the process of heating milk to a high temperature to kill bacteria and viruses, is still a highly effective method that makes dairy safe to consume, the Department’s press release said, and current practices prohibit milk from unhealthy animals to enter the food supply.
“Consumers should always utilize the proper handling and cooking of eggs and poultry products, including cooking to an internal temperature of 165˚F,” the news release added.
The Department has biosecurity recommendations and resources for dairy herds, poultry producers and livestock farms to reference on its website.
“Heightened biosecurity on both poultry and cattle farms is critically important to keeping our livestock healthy. We would strongly recommend farmers work with their veterinarian and have a very good understanding of the health status of any herd that they are receiving any cattle from,” said state veterinarian Dr. Jeff Kaisand.
Dr. Kaisand also recommended that veterinarians, poultry producers with sick birds or dairy farmers seeing unusual or suspicious illnesses in cattle should report them to the Department at 515-281-5305. A list of symptoms can be found on the Department’s website.
A recent case of HPAI was confirmed in a dairy worker in Texas, but the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) continues to believe the threat to humans remains low.
In recent days and weeks, HPAI has been reported in Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Idaho, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, and South Dakota, but as of Friday, April 12, the Department is not aware of any cases in dairy cattle or poultry in Iowa. The state’s last case in a commercial poultry flock was reported on Nov. 23, 2023, and the last case in a backyard poultry flock was reported on Dec. 19, 2023.
For additional information on HPAI, please visit the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s website at https://iowaagriculture.gov/animal-industry-bureau/avian-influenza.
