Six more states joined the initiative, which now covers two-thirds of U.S. dairy herds.
The Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) added six states last week—Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and West Virginia—to its National Milk Testing Strategy (NMTS), bringing the total to 36 participating states.
The strategy now covers bulk milk tank samples from two-thirds of U.S. dairy herds, representing nearly 75 percent of national milk production. The program has heightened H5N1 avian influenza surveillance and officials are attempting to expand mandatory milk testing nationwide.
States are categorized into one of five stages based on their testing progress, with Mississippi being the first to reach Stage 4, indicating all herds are unaffected but will continue monitoring.
Since the outbreak was reported in March 2024, the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) and the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) have tested over 112,000 samples from milk, wild animals, and domestic livestock. No new herds have been detected in previously unaffected states, demonstrating the effectiveness of the NMTS in identifying infections and monitoring herd health.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For U.S agriculture officials as they seek to ensure bird flu does not spread.
- For members of the Senate as they consider Brooke Rollins for Secretary of the USDA.
Sources: Department of Agriculture
