NATIONAL NEWS – USDA recalls U.S. milk supply over bird flu warning

Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer

The USDA has officially issued a federal order recalling all raw and unpasteurized milk due to rising concerns about bird flu. These concerns have increased in states like California and on dairy farms nationwide. The USDA is particularly worried about the potential animal-to-human transmission of the disease, although no cases of bird flu have been confirmed yet. Nevertheless, the prospect of another pandemic following COVID-19 is troubling to many.

To address these concerns, the USDA has developed a new National Milk Testing Strategy. This plan, set to be implemented on December 16th, includes collecting raw milk samples for testing, conducting disease surveillance on dairy farms, and requiring private labs to report positive test results from raw milk samples to the USDA. The strategy aims to prevent the spread of bird flu across the country.