US to expand bird-flu testing of beef in slaughterhouses

Washington | Reuters—The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Tuesday it will expand bird-flu testing of beef entering the food supply as part of its response to the ongoing outbreak among dairy cattle, adding that U.S. beef and dairy products remain safe to consume.

USDA officials, in a call with reporters along with staff from other U.S. health agencies, said the tests will begin in mid-September and urged livestock workers to remain vigilant.

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Nearly 200 herds in 13 U.S. states have contracted bird flu since March after the virus jumped from wild birds to cows, according to USDA data.

The USDA in May tested 109 beef samples from dairy cows sent to slaughter and found bird flu virus particles in one cow’s tissue sample. Older dairy cattle are often slaughtered for ground beef.

The expanded testing will continue for the rest of the year, and will focus on beef from dairy cows, said Emilio Esteban, USDA’s under secretary for food safety.

Eric Deeble, deputy under secretary for marketing and regulatory programs, said the USDA is confident with the current level of bird-flu testing conducted by the nation’s dairy farmers.

“I do feel that the response is adequate,” he said.

The Food and Drug Administration is talking with states about the plausibility of additional nationwide raw milk testing, said Steve Grube, chief medical officer of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

Colorado implemented mandatory weekly milk testing for dairy farmers on July 22 and has since detected 10 additional positive herds in the state.

Farm workers remain at risk of bird-flu infections so long as the virus circulates among livestock, said Nirav Shah, principal deputy director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Thirteen poultry and dairy workers have contracted bird flu since April, according to the CDC.

The CDC is working on expanding its surveillance wastewater testing to H5 viruses in advance of the fall and winter flu season, Shah said.

—Reporting for Reuters by Leah Douglas, Tom Polansek and Bhanvi Satija