USDA Launches Pilot Program to Protect Animal Ag Sector

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has approved an additional $824 million in emergency funding to respond to H5N1 in the U.S. dairy herd. The money will launch a new voluntary pilot program to give dairy farmers more options to monitor the health of their herds. The money will be used to support additional surveillance and testing. Farmers who enroll in this program and demonstrate their herd is free of the virus will be able to ship their cows without testing individual animals. USDA is now identifying states that will be part of this pilot program.