FSIS to test culled diary cattle for H5NI

The Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service will begin testing the meat of culled dairy cattle for N5N1, better known as bird flu, a key USDA official said today.

The tests of the culled dairy cattle being slaughtered for meat will begin in September, USDA Undersecretary for Food Safety and Inspection Emilio Esteban said in a call to reporters on the status of federal government response to H5N1.

The meat from the culled cattle will not enter the meat supply until the test results are known, Esteban said.

In response to reporters’ questions, Esteban said FSIS will test “a nationally representative sample” of the meat from the culled cattle coming from larger slaughterhouses.

The culled cattle are healthy, Esteban said, but are being taken out of the dairy supply chain because they can’t get pregnant, have had many calves or their milk production is down.

On the call, Agriculture Deputy Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Program Eric Deeble said USDA is continuing to inform dairy producers of the availability of programs to compensate them for lost milk production and to protect farm workers likely to be exposed to H5N1.

Deeble said USDA is regularly processing applications for assistance under the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program. He said USDA has received 35 applications and approved 23, including 12 from Colorado in the last week.

Weld County in Colorado has had a particular problem with H5N1 because the dairies are so close together and have so much interaction, Deeble said.

Barn cats may be dying of H5N1 and be disposed of without being tested, one official said. USDA is attempting to understand bird flu in felines, the official said.

Broader tests of dairy products have shown that the supply of dairy products is safe, an official said. The beef supply is safe, Esteban said.