State agricultural experts, farmers back federal bird flu testing

Massachusetts agricultural officials and local farmers, including at Barstow Farm in Hadley, above, support nationwide orders to test all dairy herds for bird flu, an initiative the Bay State implemented months ago.

Massachusetts agricultural officials and local farmers, including at Barstow Farm in Hadley, above, support nationwide orders to test all dairy herds for bird flu, an initiative the Bay State implemented months ago. GAZETTE FILE PHOTO

By SCOTT MERZBACH

Gazette Staff

Published: 01-06-2025 11:01 AM

HADLEY — Nationwide testing of all dairy herds for the bird flu, testing already completed four times so far in Massachusetts, is winning praise from state agricultural officials and local farmers.

The virus, also known as Type A H5N1, or Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, was detected for the first time in U.S. dairy cattle in March. Since then, bird flu has been confirmed in at least 866 herds in 16 states, and late last week California declared a state of emergency over the spread of the disease.

More than 60 people in eight states have been infected, with mostly mild illnesses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One person in Louisiana has been hospitalized with the nation’s first known severe illness caused by the virus, health officials said last week.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture began requiring nationwide testing of milk to address bird flu outbreaks in dairy herds on Dec. 16, a move that follows Massachusetts’ successful first-in-the-nation program that produced all negative results.

Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner Ashley Randle and Department of Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein are both supporting the federal order.

Randle said Massachusetts tested all 95 licensed dairy herds, demonstrating the stringent safety and biosecurity measures and protocols that dairy farmers practice.

“MDAR remains vigilant and looks forward to working with USDA to continue its nation-leading effort to maintain its 100% negative status from HPAI in our dairy farms’ products,” Randle said.

The Healey-Driscoll administration made the decision to test all herds in an effort to protect public health and demonstrate the safety of the food supply at Massachusetts farms, becoming one of the first states in the nation to conduct such a program. The testing was conducted with state inspectors visiting dairy farms from August through December.

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Public health staff then worked with the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard to test the samples, at no cost to the farmers.

Denise Barstow Manz, at Barstow’s Longview Farm in Hadley, complimented the state’s work.

“Massachusetts has done an excellent job of testing and being proactive, above and beyond what any other state has offered, and at no cost or additional work for the farms,” Barstow Manz said. “Food safety, the health of our animals, and the health of our team and community are our top priorities; we value the commonwealth’s assistance in these goals.”

She added that no additional cost or challenge is anticipated in the ongoing testing.

Barstow Manz notes that pasteurization kills HPAI and all pathogens in dairy, and milk is tested and monitored more than any other food people purchase.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.