State Veterinarian Issues Guidance for Dairy Cattle Exhibitions, Ag Events
The Colorado State Veterinarian’s Office has issued new guidance to minimize influenza transmission at dairy cattle livestock exhibitions.
The Colorado State Veterinarian’s Office has issued new guidance to minimize influenza transmission at dairy cattle livestock exhibitions.
CDA and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will host a joint virtual Town Hall meeting to provide updates on the status of avian influenza in Colorado, discuss the pre-testing requirements for dairy cattle, and answer questions about the situation in Colorado.
Date: May 8, 2024
Yesterday, the Colorado Agricultural Commission approved, and Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg adopted an emergency rule to help limit the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Colorado. Since the initial detection of HPAI in dairy cattle in March 2024, the virus has spread to dairies in at least nine states, including Colorado.
On April 24, 2024, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS), United States Department of Agriculture, issued a federal order to prevent the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
Yesterday, the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) confirmed a detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in dairy cows in Northeast Colorado. This is the first detection of avian influenza diagnosed in cattle in Colorado. Detections of HPAI in dairy cattle have occurred in eight other states.
The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) confirmed a new case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in a backyard flock in Weld County, Colorado. The flock experienced a high mortality event, losing 20 of 24 chickens in the flock, after exposure to sick and dying wild geese on the premises. The remaining birds in the flock were euthanized.
Today, Colorado State Veterinarian Dr. Maggie Baldwin released the last premises quarantine in Colorado enacted as a result of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak. With the release of the final HPAI quarantine, Colorado has achieved HPAI-free status as designated by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).
Because Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) continues to present a threat to birds across Colorado, the Colorado State Veterinarian’s office has issued updated guidance for poultry events, such as swaps, meets, and competitions. The guidance asks poultry owners to increase safety precautions and biosecurity practices, monitor their flocks for illness, and report any sick or dead birds to the State Veterinarian’s Office.
The threat of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza is still fully present across Colorado and the country. With multiple new detections in Colorado over the past week, the Colorado State Veterinarian’s Office is continuing to promote biosecurity practices as the best method to prevent the introduction of the disease fatal to birds and poultry.