Indiana Board of Animal Health has recently confirmed High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in several commercial poultry flocks in Elkhart and LaGrange counties. Since many dairy farms fall into the surveillance area, ADAI wants you to be prepared for questions from the community and keep your herds and families safe. Reviewing your farm’s biosecurity plan and discussing with employees can help.
As a reminder: FDA continues to reinforce that pasteurization is effective in maintaining the safety of milk in commercial dairy products.
The Indiana Board of Animal Health (BOAH) has a web page for Indiana dairy farmers with guidance on complying with the Federal Order related to H5N1 virus in dairy cattle. Interstate movement requirements can vary by destination.
General farm biosecurity measures include:
- Vehicles, Equipment, and People on the Farm: Producers should limit the movement of vehicles and visitors on and off livestock and poultry premises and establish dedicated routes for vehicles that do come onto the premises.
- Movement of Cattle: Movement of cattle should be minimized, and pre-movement testing is recommended; movement of cattle should be focused on preventing movement of disease.
- Monitoring for Sick Animals: Producers should monitor herds closely for cattle with clinical signs of disease and report them to their veterinarian.
- Wildlife Management: Producers should monitor and report any odd behaviors and die offs in domestic and wild animals immediately.
- Worker Safety: The CDC recommends use of personal protective equipment (PPE) for workers and monitoring for any symptoms of influenza for 10 days after their last exposure.
Your national and local dairy associations will continue to provide updates on relevant information as it becomes available. Please contact Jenni Browning at 317-842-3060 or browning@winnersdrinkmilk.com with any questions.
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