May 17, 2024

Florida, US tightens restrictions on cattle imports amid avian influenza concerns

Florida, US has expanded its regulations to block the importation of certain cattle due to the spread of a type of avian influenza affecting dairy herds in other US states, The News Service of Florida reported.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson issued an emergency rule requiring most dairy cattle imported into Florida to comply with federal testing and movement requirements for Bovine Associated Influenza A Syndrome.

Last month, Simpson restricted the importation of cattle exposed to the influenza strain, including lactating dairy cattle from states with suspected or confirmed cases of the disease. According to a news release from the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, no cases have been reported in Florida.

Under Simpson's expanded rule, dairy cattle from states with suspected or confirmed cases must be accompanied by documentation of a valid veterinary inspection conducted within a week before their relocation.

The department said that raw milk and raw milk products are not approved for human consumption in Florida, noting that "pasteurisation remains effective in inactivating the virus in milk products."

The US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service mandates testing before the interstate movement of lactating dairy cattle and requires reporting of positive test results in livestock.

The strain had been detected in nine states: North Carolina, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Colorado, Ohio, Michigan, South Dakota, and Idaho. The only confirmed human infection related to the outbreak occurred on April 1, 2024, in Texas, where a person presumably exposed to an infected cow experienced eye redness, or conjunctivitis.

The US Food and Drug Administration has recommended that farmers discard milk from symptomatic cattle.

-      The News Service of Florida