A letter, sent last week to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack from major representatives of the U.S. dairy, turkey, and egg industries, may have had an impact.
Vilsack has reacted by telling the 2024 Farm Progress Show that trials are beginning for an HSN1 virus vaccine for cattle. The letter from the industry leaders demanded that USDA and its federal partners develop safe and effective H5N1 vaccinations for dairy cows, turkeys, and egg-laying hens to help mitigate the circulation of bird flu in dairy herds and reduce the risk of spillover of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) into commercial turkey flocks and egg-laying operations. They expressed concerns about the federal response as the HPAI virus has killed 101 million birds from U.
S. commercial flocks. Since March, bird flu has infected at least 192 dairy herds, and 14 human cases have also been reported.
“As this outbreak of H5N1 continues to progress, it is clear that a new approach is needed. This includes the availability of animal vaccines effective against current and future strains of H5Nx that are necessary for a sustainable food supply as well as human and animal health,” representatives of the United Egg Producers, International Dairy Foods Association, National Milk Producers Federation and National Turkey Federation wrote in their letter to Vilsack. In his announcement, Vilsack stated that the next step regarding the potential development of an H5N1 virus vaccine for cattle is taking place, “S.
