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U.S. House bill would strengthen HPAI dairy resources

A bipartisan bill recently introduced in the U.S. House would increase resources for farmers impacted by highly pathogenic avian influenza in dairy cattle.

President of the Michigan Agri-Business Association Chuck Lippstreu tells Brownfield the bill takes a variety of steps to support biosecurity efforts on dairy farms.

“To make sure that we are prioritizing research to slow the spread of HPAI nationwide and help ensure that we’ve codified in law USDA rules that will help dairy farmers that are impacted by this,” he says.

The Avian Influenza Research and Response Act, introduced by Michigan Democrat Elissa Slotkin and California Republican David Valadao, would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a Dairy Biosecurity Education and Training program and codify in law a recent rulemaking that allows for dairy producers to be compensated for loss of milk production because of infection.

In a statement to Brownfield, Slotkin’s office says the training program would function like the Defend the Flock Resource Center at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service for the poultry industry. She says the bill would also support programs like the National Milk Producer Federation’s Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) program.

This week the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development confirmed the 27^th case of the virus on a dairy farm in Van Burean County. Michigan has the third largest number of cases reported in the U.S., behind Colorado and Idaho.

AUDIO: Chuck Lippstreu, Michigan Agri-Business Association