California Dairy Farms Face Outbreak of Avian Flu in Cow Herds
Key takeaways
- Avian flu is spreading across dairy cows in California
- More than 500 herds may be infected by early December
- StoneX’s Nate Donnay suggests output could fall through November
Bloomberg News reports that California is currently facing an outbreak of avian flu in cattle, which has infected dozens of dairy herds and continues to spread. Nate Donnay, director of dairy market insights at StoneX Group, offered his insight into the worsening situation, saying the disease is not yet under control and more herds may become infected in the coming months.
A cattle vaccine is “probably the way that we dramatically slow the spread and really keep it from getting a bigger foothold in other parts of the country,” Donnay said. “But in the short term, once it shows up in one of these major dairy areas with large dairy farms, it just seems to spread like wildfire.”
According to Federal health officials, the risk to the general public remains low. Fifteen people in California have tested positive after being exposed to sick cows, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
California produces more milk than any other US state. The outbreak, which started in March, hasn’t led to supply shortages so far; and the impact, apart from the rendering of deceased carcasses, has been minimal. Experts have said that this will likely change if the disease keeps spreading.
Farmers are under increased pressure, staining resources to treat sick animals, and going as far as culling cows that can’t produce as they could before becoming infected. An October heat wave likely worsened the illness in the sick animals, exacerbated fevers and dehydration.
The US Department of Agriculture stated that California’s milk production in September changed little from the prior year. Donnay said output could fall 1% to 3% through November, similar to that experienced by other states.
California’s dairy industry has managed the outbreak better than other states despite the high number of cases because it had time to prepare better testing and treatment.
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