Farmworkers are on the frontlines of the bird flu outbreak. Protecting them isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s a smart strategy to prevent another pandemic.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture is offering financial assistance to dairy farms that have been impacted by the recent outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.
Michigan poultry farmers have a beef with cattle, arguing the state has largely ignored calls for additional cow containment measures to stop the aggressive bird flu virus that has spread across several counties.
Avian flu has spread to livestock in at least six Michigan counties. Now, the state is ordering farmers to take more action — the ‘most comprehensive measures in the country.’
The bird flu continues to spread as wild birds migrate across the country. Farmers are warned to pay close attention to their flocks as bird flu season heightens.
The Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory found highly pathogenic avian influenza in one of Herbruck’s poultry flocks in Ionia County.
The highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected in cattle on a dairy farm in Montcalm County after the animals came in contact with infected cattle from Texas, according to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.