US Milk Supply Safe Despite Trace Amounts of Inactive Bird Flu
Experts say our milk supply remains safe despite an unusual outbreak of bird flu. That's coming up on This Land of Ours. Trace amounts of the bird flu virus that has affected dairy cows has been found in milk, however experts around the nation …
Experts say our milk supply remains safe despite an unusual outbreak of bird flu. That's coming up on This Land of Ours.
Trace amounts of the bird flu virus that has affected dairy cows has been found in milk, however experts around the nation agree that the milk supply remains safe for human consumption.
The FDA and USDA say that's because of two reasons: 1) the pasteurization process and 2) the diversion or destruction of milk from sick cows. Bernt Nelson of the American Farm Bureau Federation agrees.
"Number one, their milk is safe to drink. Sick cows are pulled out of the herd, so their milk is not allowed to enter the supply chain. Further, pasteurization kills both bacteria and viruses. This includes high-path avian influenza, so their milk is safe to drink," he said.
While pasteurization inactivates the virus, the process is not expected to remove the presence of viral particles. That's why these inactive trace amounts were found.
During the course of the outbreak, the FDA has been evaluating milk from affected animals, in the processing system, and on the shelves. To date, they say they have seen nothing that would change their assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe. Results from multiple studies will be made available in the next few days to weeks.
Listen to Sabrina Halvorson's This Land Of Ours program here.
Sabrina Halvorson National Correspondent / AgNet Media, Inc.
Sabrina Halvorson is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster, and public speaker who specializes in agriculture. She primarily reports on legislative issues and hosts The AgNet Weekly podcast. Sabrina is a native of California's agriculture-rich Central Valley.
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