The highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed at a dairy farm in Van Buren County. The dairy herd of 35 cattle tested positive on Friday according to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The new case brings the total number of dairy herds impacted in the bird flu outbreak in cattle to 27.
State officials issued an emergency order in May requiring dairy and poultry farms to enhance biosecurity measures to prevent further spread of the virus.
The order has impacted Michigan’s summer fair season as it prohibits the exhibition of lactating dairy cattle and those in the last two months of pregnancy until there have been no positive cases for sixty days.
So far, bird flu has been reported in two Michigan farmworkers and more than six million birds. The number of cases has prompted legislators to seek solutions to address the outbreak.
Last week, U.S. Representative Elissa Slotkin (Democrat) for Michigan’s 7th district introduced a new bipartisan bill to research and address avian flu.
“I’ve heard directly from Michigan farmers on the forefront of this outbreak of avian flu about how it’s disrupting their operations and threatening their livelihood, and this legislation is drawn directly from those conversations,” said Slotkin in a press release.
The Avian Influenza Research and Response Act would create a biosecurity education and training program for dairy producers, prioritize avian flu research and codify into law compensation for farmers whose milk production has been affected by the virus.
