Michigan promotes HPAI milk research and updates trade fair recommendations

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Michigan promotes HPAI milk research and updates trade fair recommendations

The state of Michigan offers incentives to dairy farms affected by influenza A to participate in research studies.

Tim Boring, director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, tells Brownfield 20 farms that they can receive a grant of up to $28,000 for their cooperation.

“Our understanding of how we manage biosecurity is based on all of the research we do,” he says. “We continue to work with farms to do animal testing and health research. That’s part of that $28,000. We have agreements with farms today that will put money in the farms’ pockets to help mitigate some of those direct, short-term economic losses.”

He believes that a better understanding of the highly pathogenic avian influenza on dairy farms will lead to more effective countermeasures to protect human and animal health.

“We really want to find out where the virus is, contain it and protect public health in the short and long term,” he explains.

Eligible farms work with the veterinary services of the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Michigan State University, and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the Department of Agriculture.

The funds are available through MDARD’s emergency response program and in addition to federal funds for dairy farmers.

The state Department of Agriculture also tightened its emergency order this week in response to the HPAI by changing recommendations for fairs.

Testing protocols for cattle exhibits have been expanded and exhibitor contact information must be provided upon request and signage is required to inform the public about biosecurity.

The ban on poultry exhibition was lifted because there were no new HPAI detections in the state for more than 30 days.

Dairy cows and animals from farms affected by the virus are still not allowed to take part in exhibitions.

Brownfield interviewed Boring during the recent regional meeting of the Midwest Association of State Departments of Agriculture in Missouri.