More States Join USDA’s Milk Testing Program to Monitor for Bird Flu

A researcher performs a rapid antigen test on milk from a dairy cow inoculated against bird flu in a containment building at the National Animal Disease Center research facility in Ames, Iowa, on July 29, 2024. USDA Agricultural Research Service via AP, File

Fifteen more states have signed on to participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Milk Testing Strategy (NMTS) for detecting H5N1, or bird flu, in the nation’s dairy sector.

The now 28 states, which produce 65 percent of the country’s milk, are working with the USDA to combat the spread of the disease.