(KNSI) — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is asking the legislature for $4 million to help combat the potential spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza within the state’s livestock population.
The announcement comes just days after the virus was discovered in a Stearns County dairy herd.
St. Cloud area Senator Aric Putnam is the Chairman of the Agriculture Committee says that while it is concerning to see the return of avian influenza in a dairy herd, the discovery “underscores the critical need for continued vigilance and proactive measures to protect our farms and farmers.” He also addressed the uncertainty around federal funding that he says “makes it even more important that we secure state resources to ensure the health and safety of Minnesota’s agriculture economy.”
The money will be used to test milk for avian influenza, which Putnam feels is necessary in preventing further spread and protecting the dairy industry.
According to the State Board of Animal Health, the herd is quarantined.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is reassuring the public that pasteurized milk is safe to drink. Milk from herds with a diagnosis is dumped and never enters the milk supply. Minnesota is the country’s top turkey producer and in the top 10 in dairy production, which experts say causes a double whammy on the region’s farmers.
The governor’s announcement comes on the heels of the University of Minnesota getting a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fight HPAI in cows.
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