Milk Safety Pt 2
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson. Some new rules set by the USDA makes it required for lactating cows to test negative for bird flu before they can be transported across state lines.
The National Milk Producers Federation’s Alan Bjerga (Bier-ga) says cows are now getting sick from the H5N1 virus so it’s crucial that we’re able to track it …
BJERGA … “So, we have an animal health issue that becomes an implied human health issue because you don't want this to jump species. Once it's in a mammal, it's that much easier, and there are more ways that you can see a potential mutation that would then go into the human population, which is what I've tried to keep from happening.”
The main takeaway, Bjerga says is that the U.S. milk supply is safe for consumers to drink …
BJERGA … “Consumers see all this going and think, ‘Oh my gosh, there must be something with milk. I better not drink it.’ The government agencies have been very forthright, especially with the FDA announcing that pasteurization kills this virus. There is no risk to the consumer population from drinking milk. This is all an effort to keep bird flu, H5N1, from jumping from dairy cattle potentially to human beings. It's to try to keep that particular flu virus under control.”
Bjerga says testing is now a requirement as far as animal safety inspections, and that makes it more official that this is what farmers need to do, and there can be penalties if they don't.
Again, that’s Alan Bjerga of the National Milk Producers Federation.
