USDA continues to expand testing for the H5N1 bird flu virus in dairy cattle, while some dairy farmers wonder if the price of testing is even worth the effort. Minnesota Milk Producers Association Executive Director Lucas Sjostrom says that there are so many factors going into testing for bird flu and dairy cattle, it can be quite difficult to pinpoint exactly how the disease was contracted. “These results are so new and after you have the results, it’s hard to know what to do with them because usually that animal has already left the farm.” According to Sjostrom, it can be difficult for farmers to justify the cost of testing when the outcome and results are so unclear. “If an animal’s carcass was found to be infected, which either pasteurization takes care of, or cooking takes care of for meat, farmers are unsure of what to do with those results.”
