April 29

4/29 – Just a month ago it was reported that Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) had spread from birds to dairy cows. This past Thursday, the FDA said that HPAI in dairy cows is widespread, with 1 in 5 milk samples taken from grocery stores testing positive for HPAI gene fragments. On Friday, the FDA clarified that fragments are not live virus, which is killed off during the pasteurization process, and that milk is safe for consumption. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued a federal order (effective today) that requires any dairy cows being transported across state lines to first test negative for HPAI. In March, U.S. milk production (down 1.0%) declined from a year ago for the 9th straight month. In Texas, where HPAI was first reported, March milk output was down 5%. Two wildcards moving forward: Will HPAI reduce U.S. milk production? Will U.S. consumers decrease milk consumption?