Why won’t California name 3 Central Valley dairies with avian flu? They blame ‘lookie-loos’
Federal and state officials are keeping tight-lipped about the location of three Central Valley dairies that have tested positive for the highly pathogenic avian influenza.
And Michael Payne, a food animal veterinarian with the UC Davis Western Institute for Food Safety and Security, fully supports the practice.
Payne said revealing the counties or the name of the infected dairies increases the risk for potentially spreading the virus.
The virus can be carried on objects, such as horse trailers or clothing. Dairy operators are encouraged to wash any equipment coming or going from the dairy to prevent spreading the virus.
“When you are talking about biosecurity, what you don’t want is a bunch of lookie-loos, industry people and non-industry people coming and going from the dairy,” Payne said. “Strong evidence suggests that the virus can be carried by people from one dairy to another.”
Avian influenza symptoms
California is the latest state in the nation to confront the virus known as Avian influenza, or H5N1. So far, it has been discovered in 14 states and infected 196 dairy herds.
Fatal to poultry, the virus attacks dairy cows with symptoms of lethargy, loss of appetite and dehydration. If a cow tests positive, it is immediately separated from the rest of the herd while it recovers, a process that could take about two to three weeks.
To humans, the risk is relatively low with only four dairy workers in the U.S. becoming infected with mild symptoms.
California Department of Food and Agriculture officials announced last Friday that they confirmed the presence of H5N1 at three dairies in the Central Valley. The dairies have been placed under quarantine while scientists and researchers work with operators to prevent spread and to determine if there are other cases in the region.
Central Valley dairies affected not identified
What isn’t being revealed is the county where the California dairies are located or the dairy itself.
A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the agency does not share information about the specific county where the affected dairies are located due to privacy concerns.
The same is true at the California Department of Agriculture, spokesperson Steve Lyle said.
“State and federal agencies do not release the location in order to help the dairies maintain effective biosecurity. This biosecurity reduces the risk of spread, thereby protecting animal and public health. In some areas of California and in other states releasing the county of detection effectively discloses the herd location,” Lyle said in a statement.
In an interview last week, California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones would only say that the affected dairies are located in an “area of the Central Valley where dairies are concentrated.”
The state’s top milk producers in the state are Tulare, Merced and Stanislaus counties. Nationwide, California is the number one producer of milk, pumping out more than 4 million pounds in 2023.
This story was originally published September 6, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
