Georgia is among the latest states to join the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Milk Testing Strategy, which relies on samples from dairy producing states to monitor the presence of avian influenza among dairy cows. 

Milk being monitored at this point through the program represents over half of the nation's milk supply, according to the USDA. 

There has been no detection of the strain that infects cows in Georgia, but the same can't be said for chickens. 

In early January, one backyard flock of chickens in Clayton County was reported positive for H5N1, commonly known as bird flu. Then, this weekend, the state Department of Agriculture confirmed a commercial flock of about 45,000 chickens in Elbert County had to be culled after a positive case. It's the first commercial flock Georgia's confirmed positive for bird flu since 2022, and the fifth total case since then. 

The birds in Clayton County were reportedly infected through contact with waterfowl. The virus has been found among wild birds in several Georgia counties. It's unclear how the commercial flock was infected. 

The state Department of Agriculture started planning to join the milk testing program late last year, said State Veterinarian Janemarie Hennebelle. Over a thousand lactating Georgia dairy cows moved across state lines and put up for exhibitions have already been tested since last April as part of a different federal strategy. 

“We have a high degree of confidence that we would be able to trace any positive detections back to a farm of origin if and when we needed to do so,” Hennebelle said. 

Producers are required to outfit dairy cows and some other cattle with ear tags to help further with traceability following a USDA rule finalized last year. 

Samples of Georgia’s milk supply will come from tank trucks and silos and will be sent to the University of Georgia's veterinary diagnostic laboratories and the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Lab, respectfully. Hennebelle said that testing will happen three times in January and then once a month for several months, but could increase if there were any detection of the virus in milk or end completely with no detection. 

This additional testing strategy adds to Georgia’s ongoing surveillance. The state tests thousands of chickens a week for bird flu through voluntary participation by producers in the National Poultry Improvement Program, Hennebelle said. 

“We have a high degree of participation,” Hennebelle said. “If I'm a poultry grower … I need healthy birds in order to ensure that I can produce a wholesome product for consumers.”

She said there is no evidence at this point that other flocks have contracted the deadly virus. 

For now, testing, paired with so-called biosecurity measures taken by producers small and large, is the state's best protection against an outbreak. 

“I have a high degree of confidence that we will pick up avian influenza if it's present, but this is a partnership,” Hennebelle said. "We are also really reliant upon farmers and ranchers throughout the state who have poultry, who have dairy cattle, to report to us."

H5N1 hit commercial and backyard chicken flocks in the U.S. in 2022 through a mutation of the virus originally found in wild birds. Another version of the virus began infecting cows this past year, and it has since spread to a small number of humans.

Additional milk testing in Georgia is being conducted at the University of Georgia’s Center for Influenza Disease and Emergence Research in partnership with the Food and Drug Administration.

Tags: bird flu  H5N1  poultry  dairy industry  georgia agriculture  Clayton County  health  Health