The testing plan, which can contain month-to-month or weekly pattern assortment from bulk milk tanks and dairy processors, shall be rolled out first in California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Oregon, Vilsack mentioned.
The latter three states haven’t reported hen flu infections in dairy cattle.
“It offers us the chance to get probably a heads up about probably new virus in areas of a state that presently has the virus, or new states,” Vilsack mentioned of the testing.
The company will start the testing on Dec. 16, Vilsack mentioned.
The tempo of testing will rely on whether or not virus is detected in preliminary sampling, mentioned Rosemary Sifford, USDA’s chief veterinarian.
The order requires farms and processors to make uncooked milk accessible for sampling, and farm house owners whose animals check optimistic for the virus to inform the company about animal actions and different info.
