MDARD issues emergency order amid bird flu ‘outbreak’
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Starting next week, all Michigan dairy farms and commercial poultry operations will need to implement several biosecurity measures to combat avian flu, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development announced Wednesday.
MDARD Director Tim Boring on Wednesday signed a Determination of Extraordinary Emergency and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Risk Reduction Response Order, according to a release from the department.
“Michigan has been on the frontline as our nation continues to respond to highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI,” Boring said Wednesday at a news conference.
MDHHS: Avian flu another reason to avoid raw milk products
Avian flu has been found in dairy farms and commercial poultry farms in six counties in Michigan, he said, posing “an active and ongoing threat to both dairy and poultry operations across the state.”
The emergency order takes effect Wednesday, May 8.
It requires dairy farms and commercial poultry farms (as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) to take measures like choosing a biosecurity manager, creating a line of separation to mark a secure area and limit access points, following cleaning and disinfection processes at these access points for both people and vehicles, and maintaining records of all vehicles and people that cross access points, MDARD says.
Bird flu tests ordered for dairy cattle that cross state lines
In addition, no dairy cattle that are lactating or in the last two months of pregnancy can be exhibited unless there have been no Michigan cases of HPAI in dairy cattle for 60 consecutive days; no dairy cattle from infected premises can be exhibited; and all poultry exhibitions are forbidden unless there have been no Michigan HPAI cases in poultry for 30 consecutive days. Zoos, and other venues with permanent poultry exhibits, are excluded from the prohibition.
“These steps are specifically aimed at limiting the spread of the virus from farm to farm within Michigan,” Boring said. “…These steps, combined with last week’s USDA federal order (which orders bird flu tests for dairy cattle that cross state lines), are the most comprehensive measures in the country. Implementing these measures must be the highest priority for every farm and every agricultural worker.”
You can view the full order here.
Avian flu confirmed in dairy herds across 3 more West Michigan counties
In late March, MDARD announced bird flu had been found in a Montcalm County dairy herd. The department later confirmed the presence of avian flu in three more dairy herds, located in Ionia, Isabella and Ottawa counties, as well as a commercial poultry farm in Ionia County and then one in Newaygo County.
According to the emergency order, HPAI is highly transmissible among birds, while scientists don’t fully understand its spread among dairy operations.
The public health risk of avian flu remains low, according to Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Chief Medical Executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian.
“Currently, no human cases have been identified in Michigan, and only one human case of HPAI has been identified so far this year in Texas,” she said.
But “out of an abundance of caution,” Bagdasarian recommended measures like only drinking pasteurized milk and washing your hands, especially after coming into contact with animals.
MDARD says it plans to release more details about the order in the coming days.
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