NBC NEWS – Federal authorities on Friday pledged nearly $200 million in an attempt to control the spread of bird flu on dairy farms.
Some of that money would go directly to farms to help them reduce the spread of the virus, cover veterinary costs and compensate farmers who’ve lost milk because of sick cows.
The money is also intended to encourage testing of both dairy cows and the people who work closely with them — a key step, experts said, in understanding the true scope of bird flu, also known as H5N1, across the U.S.
“Incentives work very well to get a better understanding of epidemiology,” said Katelyn Jetelina, who tracks illnesses for a website called “Your Local Epidemiologist.”
Right now, there is no requirement for dairy cows to be tested unless they’re being moved across state lines, according to a recent federal order. Otherwise, the decision is left to farmers.
So far, only about 80 cows among the 26,000 dairy herds in the U.S. have been tested under the federal order, which went into effect at the end of April, Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Friday in a media briefing. It was unclear how many of those 80 had tested positive.
As of Friday, 42 herds in nine states — Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Dakota, Ohio and Texas — had been affected by the outbreak.
“Those 42 family farm operations are suffering, and we want to make sure we’re there to provide help and assistance,” Vilsack said.
The USDA will offer $98 million to affected farms over the next four months, which could equate to as much as $28,000 per farm, Vilsack said.
Jetelina called the program “a fantastic step” but “way overdue.” The outbreak among dairy cattle was first announced at the end of March …
