Bird Flu Wreaks Havoc on California’s Dairy Industry, Could Disrupt Food Supply Chain

Agencies report the disease has affected nearly 260 dairies statewide, and producers are facing quarantines restricting the movement of cattle.

A cow grazes in a field at a dairy farm in Petaluma, Calif., on April 26, 2024. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A bird flu outbreak in California is creating chaos in the state’s dairy industry and could disrupt the food supply chain if the state continues to push COVID-19-like restrictions on farms and livestock markets, according to Alexandra “Ali” Macedo, whose family owns Tulare Sales Yard, the oldest livestock market in the state.

Macedo, an environmental consultant in the dairy industry and a newly elected Republican state assemblywoman, told The Epoch Times that state interference in the industry could be hurting dairies more than the disease itself.