Iowa requests federal assistance as bird flu strikes 2nd dairy herd

DES MOINES — The Iowa state agriculture department is asking for federal assistance to address the avian influenza outbreak, which on Friday was confirmed in a second herd of dairy cattle.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced Friday it has requested from the U.S. Department of Agriculture funding to compensate farmers who lose birds or cattle to avian influenza, and additional federal resources to address the outbreak.

“Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza continues to pose a significant threat to our livestock and the livelihoods of the farmers that care for them. To better prepare and respond to this challenge, the (state ag) department is taking additional response measures and is making additional resource requests of USDA in order to support this ongoing and collaborative effort,” IDALS Sec. Mike Naig said in a news release.

Avian influenza was confirmed in a dairy herd in Sioux County on Friday after first being detected in Iowa cattle Wednesday in O’Brien County.

The virus during this year’s outbreak also has been confirmed in two commercial flocks — of turkey meat birds and table egg layers — impacting nearly 4.4 million birds, as well as two wild birds, according to USDA data.

“Our team remains in daily communication with USDA, other states, farm organizations and industry stakeholders and we will be continually evaluating our response steps as new information arises,” Naig said. “This is going to take the entire agricultural community working together because we all have a stake in protecting the herds and flocks of Iowa.”

The state ag department has requested from the federal ag department:

Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a statement Friday saying she has been informed by Naig’s office about the state plans and requests for federal assistance.

Reynolds also said she sent a letter to USDA Sec. Tom Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, asking the federal agency to prioritize and expedite the approval process for animal vaccines.

“Because Iowa farmers produce 10 percent of the nation’s food supply, protecting the health of our livestock is one of our highest priorities,” Reynolds said in a news release. “I will continue to advocate for these vaccines to help prevent and control future disease outbreaks.”

Feds: Limit raw milk sales

The federal government is encouraging states like Iowa that allow for the sale of raw milk to use regulatory measures to stop raw milk sales that may present a risk to consumers.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in an open letter dated Thursday, urged states to take those and other actions to slow the spread of avian influenza among dairy herds.

The sale of raw milk is illegal across state lines, but some states allow for raw milk sales within their borders, including Iowa, thanks to a law passed by statehouse Republicans in 2023.

“Because raw milk has the potential to contain viable (avian influenza) virus, it represents a potential route of consumer exposure to the virus,” the FDA letter to states reads. “Based on the limited research and information available, we do not know at this time if the … virus can be transmitted to humans through consumption of raw milk and products made from raw milk from infected cows. However, exposures on affected farms are associated with three documented cases of (virus) illness in dairy workers.”

An Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship spokesman noted the new state law prohibits the state from regulating or licensing raw milk sales. The spokesman said if dairy cattle in Iowa display symptoms consistent with the virus, farmers should contact the department.

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