The U.S. government said recently it is collecting samples of ground beef at retail stores in states with outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cows for testing but remains confident the meat supply is safe.
Federal officials are seeking to verify the safety of milk and meat after confirming the H5N1 virus in 34 dairy cattle herds in nine states since late March, and in one person in Texas.
Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have said the overall public health risk is low, but is higher for those with exposure to infected animals.
Scientists believe outbreaks are more widespread in cows than officially reported based on findings of H5N1 particles in about 20% of milk samples. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that preliminary results of gold-standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests showed pasteurization killed the bird flu virus in milk.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will analyze retail ground beef samples with PCR tests that indicate "whether any viral particles are present," according to a statement. Some dairy cows are processed into ground beef when they grow old.
Last week, USDA began requiring lactating dairy cows to test negative for bird flu before being moved across state lines as officials seek to contain the virus. The department said that testing is not required for cows that are shipped over state lines directly to slaughter facilities from barns where they are sold. Those cattle only need documentation showing they were inspected by a veterinarian. Each animal is inspected before slaughter, and all cattle carcasses must pass inspection after slaughter to enter the human food supply.
USDA said it had found bird flu in a lung tissue sample from an asymptomatic dairy cow that was sent to slaughter from an infected herd, but the animal did not enter the food supply. The Department is now collecting beef muscle samples at slaughter facilities of dairy cattle that have been condemned to determine the presence of viral particles. Any positive PCR tests for retail or slaughter samples will be evaluated for live virus.
USDA has been using a "virus surrogate" in ground beef and cooking it at different temperatures to determine how the virus is affected. Cooking meat to a safe internal temperature kills bacteria and viruses
Colombia restricted the import of beef and beef products coming from U.S. states where dairy cows have tested positive for avian influenza as of April 15. There are no known cases of bird flu in beef cattle so far.
The human case in the current outbreak was in a Texas farm worker who suffered conjunctivitis following exposure to dairy cows.
USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced results from testing the first 30 samples of ground beef, showing that all were negative for H5N1.
EDITOR’S TAKE:
We apologize upfront for so many stories about the bird flu, but it seems every week there is a new development that could have longer-term impacts on agriculture. Every time we think things are under control – wham! This week, the USDA and FDA are obviously widening their research and testing to ensure the food supply is safe. They are also concerned about any spread to humans or other species. The regulators are being vigilant and we will continue to monitor and report any new developments. In the meantime, be sure to stay in touch with the farmers/ranchers in your area. They still need trucks and you can let them know about your inventory on AgTruckTrader.com®.
