Dairy cattle traveling to the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia will need to test negative for H5N1, or bird flu.
H5N1 avian influenza was detected in dairy herds across the United States in spring. Since late April, the United States Department of Agriculture has required lactating dairy cows to be tested prior to interstate travel. The requirement applies to milking cows only — calves, heifers and steers are exempt.
The Missouri State Fair Commission has enacted similar testing requirements for milking cows arriving at the fair taking place in Sedalia August 8 - 18. Exhibitors bringing lactating dairy cows to the State Fair need to have the animal’s milk tested for H5N1 no more than a week prior to their arrival.
Milk collection must be conducted or overseen by a veterinarian. Samples can be tested at the Missouri Department of Agriculture Animal Health Laboratory in Springfield or the University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory in Columbia.
Missouri State Veterinarian Steve Strubberg said farmers can usually get test results back within a day. Proof of negative H5N1 tests for dairy cattle will be requested upon State Fair exhibitor check in.
“We will just verify that any of those lactating cows that arrive at the fair have a negative test result via either a certificate of veterinary inspection that their veterinarian filled out, or it could just be the test chart from the laboratory that would have the animal identification on it, indicating they had a negative test recently,” Strubberg said.
Exhibitors arriving to the fair with milking cows that haven’t been tested will be turned away.
“We'll work closely with the Fair Commission and the Superintendents to find a means to have them get that test and return, hopefully quickly,” Strubberg said.
A few 100 dairy cows of six different breeds come to the Missouri State Fair each year, Strubberg said. The milk sampling and testing process is rather streamlined in the state and he is confident farmers, veterinarians and laboratory staff are up to the task of conducting required testing before the fair begins.
The fair milking parlor will be closed to exhibitors this year as an extra precaution.
“Once it's (H5N1) in a cow, it spreads to herd mates through the milking process,” Strubberg said. “For that reason, the State Fair Commission is not going to allow the normal exhibitors to utilize the parlor to where they would use the same equipment, from one cow and one herd to the next.”
Dairy cows will instead need to be milked by exhibitors with portable milking machines, or by hand.
“We hate that we're creating a little bit of an inconvenience, but it's certainly for the safety of their animals and all of the exhibitors,” Strubberg said.
Milk and farm safety
H5N1 has not been detected in Missouri’s dairy herd but some of the state’s poultry flock has been affected. The last poultry case was reported in February, according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture.
Strubberg said the Missouri Department of Agriculture procedures to control virus spread have “thankfully been pretty effective.”
“The virus doesn't seem to be in the Missouri dairy herd,” he said. “We're watching real close and getting the word out.”
For milk drinkers, Strubberg said they have little to worry about. Drinking raw milk is always risky, but Strubberg said pasteurized milk and other dairy products are “very safe.”
“It's always been safe and there's been a lot of studies done on this particular virus to be sure that pasteurization does what it should do — and that's remove viruses and bacteria from the milk or inactivate them,” he said.
For farmers and dairy workers, Strubberg encourages taking recommended biosecurity measures such as wearing clean clothes on the farm, sanitizing equipment, and limiting visitors. If cattle have recently traveled, Strubberg said it's best to keep them isolated from the rest of the herd for 2 - 4 weeks upon return.
“If they brought any sort of disease back, you sure don't want to risk your entire herd,” he said.
Farmers should also keep a close eye on their herd and communicate with their veterinarian.
“If you suspect any symptoms of sick cows, always be in touch with your veterinarian,” Strubberg said. “If it's determined it might be influenza, we'd like to detect it sooner rather than later.”
