Dairy farmers and livestock veterinarians face the stresses of bird flu virus' surprising transmission to cattle

Razor-thin profit margins and see-saw market prices already make the life of U.S. dairy farmers tough. Farmers must now contend with the unknowns of an evolving bird flu virus, which could infect herds and farm workers. "Avian influenza has hit dairy farms in at least 12 states after being confirmed in March to have jumped to cattle, reports Victor Stefanescu of The Wall Street Journal. "The malady, which can curb cows’ milk production and upend dairy farms’ operations, is the latest curveball for an industry that has grappled with low-profit margins, drought and shifting consumer tastes."

This version of bird flu, or H5N1, has been reported in 136 herds nationwide. The highly contagious virus is a stressful wildcard for dairy farmers because it slows milk production and some cows will not survive the infection. Stefanescu explains, "The virus has reached at least 26 herds in Idaho, where affected farms are losing up to a fifth of their milk production for three to four weeks. It is costing the average producer in the state $10,000 a day in lost revenue, said Idaho Dairymen’s Association Chief Executive Rick Naerebout."

One way dairy farmers are working to fight the introduction or spread of H5N1 is through biosecurity measures. "In Michigan, third-generation dairy farmer Ashley Kennedy is trying to boost biosecurity by limiting visitors’ access to her cows and logging the people who enter and exit the farm, as the state requires," Stefanescu writes. Some farmers in Wisconsin are deploying drones to chase away wild birds that may carry the virus. 

Farmers aren't alone in facing additional stress brought on by bird flu's surprising transmission to cattle. Livestock veterinarians are also affected. In April when "the federal government began requiring some cows to be tested for a strain of avian flu before their herds could be moved across state lines, it seemed like an obvious step to try to track and slow the virus that had started spreading among U.S. dairy cattle," reports Andrew Joseph for STAT. "But Joe Armstrong, a veterinarian at the University of Minnesota extension school, feared the Department of Agriculture rule could lead to potential problems for his colleagues."

In practice, the USDA's rule puts veterinarians in the crosshairs between what the government demands and what the livestock owners are willing to do. Armstrong told Joseph: "There will be clients lost over this situation. That amount of stress and pressure from two directions — USDA from the top, clients from the other side — puts practicing veterinarians in a very stressful day-to-day.”

It's not an easy position for veterinarians, but their role in tempering the spread of H5N1 is vitally important. Joseph adds, "Since the outbreak in cattle was discovered earlier this year — by veterinarians themselves, — dairy veterinarians have been on the frontlines of the response. They’re testing cows. They’re teaming with farmers and dairy workers to prevent additional infections, both bovine and human. They’re using their on-the-ground experience to trace how the virus is transmitting."

Dairy farmers have been slow to allow -- or have even refused -- H5N1 testing on their farms. Keith Poulsen, a veterinarian who now spends most of his time running the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, told Joseph, "It makes it really challenging to be that veterinarian and say, I know there’s flu on this farm, but the owner won’t approve testing. That makes a pretty big ethical dilemma for veterinarians.”