SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Today, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health announced the detection of H5N1 avian influenza in a Stearns County dairy herd as part of Minnesota’s milk surveillance plan. The BAH has quarantined the herd until it meets testing requirements indicating it’s no longer infected.
In response, Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL – South St. Paul), the DFL co-chair of the House Agriculture Finance & Policy Committee, is calling for added safeguards to address H5N1, including the testing of retail milk, voluntary testing for poultry and dairy workers, as well as monitoring of the wastewater supply for the virus.
“The potential disaster of a bigger avian flu outbreak in Minnesota calls for a ‘trust but verify’ approach. While the BAH points out that pasteurized milk kills bacteria and viruses, further testing and monitoring is necessary to protect the public, not to mention the people who work with potentially affected poultry flocks and dairy herds,” Rep. Hansen said. “The unpredictability of federal funding to monitor and address threats like avian flu poses a significant challenge, but Minnesotans deserve additional proactive steps to protect workers and assure trust in our food supply.”
Wastewater monitoring was highly effective in tracking the COVID-19 pandemic, and the tool could now be used to provide valuable data on the presence and spread of H5N1 to guide response efforts.
Farmers are able to request PPE through the Minnesota Department of Health. BAH will continue to provide updates on its website.