Scientists Warn Stronger Policies Are Needed To Contain Bird Flu

The New York Times (8/21, Mandavilli) reports, “Without a sharp pivot in state and federal policies, the bird flu virus that has bedeviled American farms is likely to find a firm foothold among dairy cattle, scientists are warning.” Though farms would ideally “‘bulk test’ milk pooled from many cows at once and restrict movement of cattle and farmworkers until the virus was eradicated,” Colorado is thus far “the only affected state that requires bulk testing of milk.” Additionally, experts anticipate that implementing restrictions designed to “contain new pathogens” on swine farms will likely be more difficult on dairy farms, as “cows are kept alive longer and need far more space.” The Times also writes that any federal response to the outbreak “may be complicated by politics during an election year and by the fact that oversight is led by a federal department that is tasked with both regulating and promoting the agricultural industry.”