We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Privacy Terms and Cookie Policy
Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
The Trump administration plans to make vaccines a central part of its strategy to control bird flu, even as farm industry groups remain divided on whether that’s the best way to go.
A genotype of highly pathogenic avian influenza previously identified in wild birds has been found for the first time in dairy cattle, the Agriculture Department said Wednesday.
A surge of highly pathogenic avian influenza cases in dairy cattle and the first death of a person from the virus have refocused attention on the ongoing outbreak, which shows no signs of fading away anytime soon.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending several measures to reduce the risk of farmworkers being infected with bird flu as well as testing of poultry and dairy employees who may have been exposed to the H5N1 virus, even if they do not show symptoms of illness.
Animal veterinarians are pushing USDA to move quickly in testing milk nationwide to get a handle on where the H5N1 virus is located so it can be controlled.
Federal health officials say they haven’t been able to pinpoint how a person in Missouri was infected with bird flu, the 14th case in the U.S. this year but the first that appears not to involve animal exposure.
The Agriculture Department is taking a deliberate approach to the question of whether cows should be inoculated against avian flu, even as some vaccine developers report substantial demand for a vaccine from dairy farmers worried about lost milk production.
The top Republican on the Senate Ag Committee, John Boozman, has laid out his proposals for a new farm bill. For the most part they mirror the bill the House Ag Committee approved last month, which means the partisan divide over policy and funding is no closer to being resolved.
House Republicans are scaling back their ambitions when it comes to slashing spending at USDA. The House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee today will take up a draft spending bill for fiscal 2025 that would reduce total funding for USDA, FDA and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission by just over 1%.