Officials with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture say bird flu has been found in a herd of dairy cows in the state.
They did not say where the herd is located.
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said it’s an evolving situation, and they are waiting for more diagnostics from the National Veterinary Services Laboratory.
He said the department has spent spent years developing methods to handle Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in poultry, but this is new and they are working with state and federal partners to develop protocols to handle this situation.
Troxler added that it’s important to note the FDA has no concern about the safety or availability of pasteurized milk products nationwide.”
HPAI has previously been detected in dairy herds in Texas, Kansas, Michigan, Idaho, New Mexico, and Ohio. Movement of cattle from affected herds in these states to North Carolina has been suspended.
