The USDA has issued a Federal Order requiring lactating dairy cattle to test negative for highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza prior to interstate movement.
During a call with reporters Wednesday, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said the order was issued to limit the spread of the virus. “The mandatory testing for interstate movement impacts and involves dairy cattle,” he said. “We’re going to initially focus on lactating cows, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the order is limited only to lactating counts, but it means that we’ll start there.”
If a cow tests positive for the virus, it won’t be allowed to move until it has a negative test after a 30-day waiting period.
