Nearly 40 percent of 333 U.S. dairy herds infected by the avian flu virus are in California, according to a USDA database on Tuesday. To date, 133 outbreaks have been reported since the first report on Aug. 30. The state Department of Food and Agriculture said it tries to find affected farms as soon as possible so they can implement enhanced biosecurity, cow care, and employee protection measures.
How the viral disease reached the state is unknown, but one of the stories in circulation blames it on a cattle sale that soured, reported the Los Angeles Times. The deal supposedly involved cattle shipped to Idaho from Tulare County, in the Central Valley. The buyer wasn’t satisfied and sent the cattle back. “At some point during this interstate shuffle, the cows were infected and the virus was not identified until it was too late,” said the newspaper. “Where the breakdown happened is unclear.”
A spokesman for the California agriculture department said tests indicated the virus affecting California dairy cattle was “most similar to the strain found in cattle in the state of Idaho.” The USDA requires bird flu tests of lactating milk cows before they are shipped across state lines. Idaho encourages farmers to isolate new additions to their herds for three or four weeks. California has no such rule, unless the cattle show signs of illness, said the newspaper.