According to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, USDA has a good sense of the way the H5N1 virus is spreading. “Thousands of tests have been conducted and reviewed,” said Vilsack. “Not only of cattle but of milk taken directly from cows and bulk tanks on the farm, I’m confident that we have a good understanding of the nature of this virus and how it’s being transferred between various farms.” A plan is in the works that would reimburse dairy farmers for loss of production related to the virus. “Hopefully, in the very near future, we’ll be outlining the indemnification process and how that might operate in order to indemnify or reimburse the farmer for their losses.”
