Vermont’s milk supply has not been affected by the bird flu virus, which was detected on some farms in the West and Midwest last year.
Vermont started testing its milk in January after the U.S. Department of Agriculture required a nationwide testing program following bird flu outbreaks in other parts of the country.
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets says it received a report this week saying Vermont’s milk supply has been declared “unaffected” by highly pathogenic avian influenza, otherwise known as bird flu.
Vermont is the first state in New England to receive the status from USDA.
“This is an important moment for Vermont and our dairy industry,” said Anson Tebbetts, Vermont secretary of agriculture. “Thank you to our dairy farmers for stepping up and participating. This achievement means that, as always, you can depend on Vermont milk to be nutritious and safe.”
HPAI, or bird flu, is highly pathogenic to domestic poultry, and the virus can wipe out entire flocks of chickens and turkeys.
The disease is widespread in wild birds worldwide, and scientists have been concerned with the disease spreading to dairy cows, and then to humans, including farm employees who work near infected cows.
Pasteurization kills the virus, and most of the nation’s commercial milk supply is safe.
Vermont originally said it would test its milk at large collection sites, where many farms go to deliver their milk to be processed.
But the state then began testing milk on each dairy farm, and the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets says it has been routinely testing milk at 411 farms across the state.
The farms did not have to pay for any of the testing, and the federal government covered all costs of the testing program, according to the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
The agency also said it created a first-in-the-nation weekly sampling program for raw milk cheese makers.
Every raw milk cheese maker in the state took part in the voluntary testing, the agency said, and the milk used for raw milk cheese also is free of the bird flu virus.
“This sampling program is a first of its kind system built by a team of Vermonters who wanted to bring peace of mind and protection to our dairy farmers, food processors and cheese makers,” said E.B. Flory, VAAFM dairy section chief and director of food safety. “Our dairy cattle are healthy and producing the highest quality milk for market. I want to thank our hardworking team for all the sacrifices they have made and thank our Vermont dairy farmers for working with our team to make this important declaration possible.”
The Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets said that while the report shows that Vermont’s milk supply is free of HPAI, there have been isolated incidents of bird flu, and the state says it will continue testing milk.
