Florida tightens restrictions about cattle imports amid bird flu concerns

(USDA photo by Preston Keres)

Quality Journalism for Critical Times

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson has tightened controls on importation of dairy cattle into the state to limit exposure to avian flu, hoping to control the virus before it can infect humans in sufficient numbers to pose a pandemic risk.

The regulation builds upon restrictions that the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services imposed in April in line with guidelines from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

For example, Simpson’s office said, dairy cattle can’t be brought to Florida unless they have tested negative for the “highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).” Cattle exposed to or infected with a related pathogen, the Bovine Associated Influenza A Syndrome, are barred from the state. Also, dairy cattle from states with suspected or confirmed cases must have tested negative no more than seven days before importation unless destined for slaughter.

“The safety and security of our food supply is critical to our prosperity, and this updated emergency rule is another proactive step Florida is taking to protect our livestock and the health of our citizens,” Simpson said in a written statement.

The cattle industry alone was worth more than $546 billion in 2020, the last figures available from the state, which counts 862,000 head of beef cattle and 105,000 of dairy cattle.

Human infection

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus was detected in a cow in Texas in late March. Additional infections have since been reported in Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, New Mexico, and South Dakota but not in Florida.

The CDC reported a human case on April 1 in a person in Texas who worked with cattle and suffered mild symptoms. An earlier human case was reported in Colorado in 2022.

“CDC believes the current risk to the general public from bird flu viruses is low. People who have job-related or recreational exposure to infected birds or animals, including cows, are at greater risk of contracting HPAI A(H5N1) virus,” the agency says.

“[I]t is important to remember that thus far, we have not found changes to the virus that would make it more transmissible to humans and between people. While cases among humans in direct contact with infected animals are possible, our partners at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believe that the current risk to the public remains low,” the USDA said in a written statement in April.

The virus is common in wild birds but has been found in domestic poultry flocks and, now, cattle. Officials worry that infections in mammals could help the virus adapt in ways that could put humans at risk. A similar process led to the coronavirus pandemic.

Simpson’s office says Floridians can protect themselves by shunning raw milk products and sticking to pasteurized.

“Raw milk and raw milk products are not pasteurized, and therefore are at risk for containing the live virus. Exposure and consumption of raw milk and raw milk products can put both humans and animals at risk and have the potential to further spread the virus,” Simpson’s office said.

Simpson’s office also said in a statement: “Florida is at lower risk for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in domestic livestock as we are net exporters of cattle and import few lactating dairy cattle,” said Dr. Michael Short, state veterinarian and director of the Division of Animal Industry. “This emergency rule is yet another layer of security that Commissioner Wilton Simpson is putting into place to protect the health of Florida’s livestock and poultry.”

The post Florida tightens restrictions about cattle imports amid bird flu concerns appeared first on Florida Phoenix.