Bird Flu Detected in Dairy Worker who had Contact with Infected Cattle in Texas

The Washington Post reported that a dairy worker in Texas is being treated for bird flu, only the second human case in the United States, but an extremely hostile virus that has recently rampaged through dairy cows in five states.

The patient, who experienced eye inflammation as the only symptom, was tested for flu late last week, with confirmatory testing performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over the weekend. The patient was told to isolate and is being treated with an antiviral drug sold under the brand name Tamiflu. The newly emerged case does not change the risk for the general public, which federal officials say remains low.

A spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services said “The patient worked directly with sick cows at a dairy, so the virus was most likely transmitted through that close contact.”

The case has alarmed disease trackers monitoring for the worst-case scenario: human-to-human transmission of the pathogen, and raises questions about whether this pathogen is now more easily transmitted among mammals.

Texas health officials are working with other state and federal agencies to provide guidance to dairies about precautions workers should take to minimize the risk of transmission from animals and encourage those who become ill to get tested.

CDC spokesman Kevin Griffis said the investigation into how widely the virus has spread is ongoing, and that at this time they are not aware that any of the individual’s close contacts have experienced any symptoms.”

This marks the first time the highly pathogenic avian influenza has been identified in U.S. dairy cattle, and its recent emergence and the likelihood of cow-to-cow transmission represents a worrisome change.

Until now, only one human case had been identified in the United States, back in 2022. The person was involved in culling poultry presumed to have been infected with H5N1 bird flu. While this individual reported fatigue for a few days as their only symptom, and did fully recover, human illnesses with H5N1 bird flu have ranged from mild, such as eye infections and upper respiratory symptoms, to severe illness, such as pneumonia, that have resulted in death in other countries.

Experts worry about the potential for viral evolution. There are several scenarios: The virus could remain primarily a threat to animal health and then recede, as it has in the past. It may continue to circulate among animals, but not routinely infect humans. Or, in the worst case, it evolves to spread easily between people and becomes the next pandemic, which would have significant costs to human life, society, and the global economy.

The more the virus is able to circulate in mammalian species, the greater the opportunity for the pathogen to mutate to spread more efficiently between humans. Although the H5N1 bird flu has rarely infected humans, among the cases that have been diagnosed, the fatality rate is roughly 50 percent. The CDC, the U.S. Agriculture Department, and the Food and Drug Administration, along with state health and veterinary officials, say they are closely monitoring developments.

The CDC said Monday that preliminary analysis has not found mutations that would make these viruses resistant to FDA-approved antiviral medications for flu, and that the United States does have a small amount of bird flu vaccine that targeted an earlier bird flu strain as part of a program to prepare for strains of influenza virus with pandemic potential. With the latest spread of bird flu, vaccine candidates are being developed and tested that are expected to match the current strain, according to an official at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

NCBA Calls for House Resolution Banning Beef from Paraguay

According to SouthEast Ag Net, The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) is calling on the House to follow the Senate’s lead and pass a resolution against the import of beef from Paraguay. It comes after a USDA decision back in November to allow beef from Paraguay, a country that until now USDA has blocked from beef imports because it must vaccinate for Foot and Mouth Disease. USDA considers the continued need for the vaccine to mean that the disease is still in the country.

NCBA Vice President of Government Affairs, Ethan Lane stated “When you have anything coming from those areas of the world that have had those issues, whether it be Foot and Mouth Disease, BSE, or whatever else, to the United States, we in the industry here take an extremely sharp eye to any kind of discussion about a trade relationship in the beef supply chain with those countries.”

Lane confirmed that this is not a “consumer threat” but a regulatory issue for the beef industry as the US has not had boots on the ground to inspect those facilities in country for several years now, and that it’s important to ensure that the United States inspection system does not have any problems at some point down the line.

California Pork Consumers See Significant Price Increases

According to Western Ag Network, a report compiled by economists with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Chief Economist (OCE) identified that California pork prices have seen a 20% hike compared to the rest of the country following the full implementation of Proposition 12 which restricts any pork products sold in California that don’t meet pen-size restrictions established by the voter-approved measure.
The U.S. Supreme Court heard an appeal by industry groups who warned that California consumers would pay more for pork as a result of the law. According to the USDA report, pork loin prices were hardest hit with a 41% price increase, and Bacon prices rose $1.04 per pound more than the rest of the country. The report confirmed products not governed by the law did not see a significant price increase and the long-term impact of the law is yet to be seen.
The USDA report also found that the state’s portion of national fresh pork consumption fell from 10% to below 7% the first month of full implementation. Authors of the study said they expect an even greater decrease in consumption although it is too soon to determine.
The National Pork Producers Council has fought against California Prop. 12 since 2018, when it was put on the state’s ballot for approval, arguing among other things that it would increase consumer prices for pork. Along with the American Farm Bureau Federation, NPPC challenged Prop. 12 in federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, and they continue to work with members of Congress on a solution to the problems created by the law.

Dairy-Beef Cross Cattle Could Soon Make up 15% of Beef Market

Ag Week reported that Raising beef on dairy-crossed cattle is starting to have a significant impact on the beef market. For the past five to six years, beef on dairy cattle have become more common in the industry, and in 2024, it’s expected that 3.2 million beef-on-dairy crosses will be entering the market. In 2026 that number is estimated to be at 5 million to 6 million. This was the main topic of discussion during the I-29 Moo University on March 21, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, considering if numbers do reach those levels, that would be about 15% of the fed cattle beef market.
Beef breeds most used in these crossbred cattle include Angus, Charolais, Simmental and Limousin, with Holsteins being the most commonly used dairy breed, followed by Jersey.
Holstein meat is known for good marbling but a flat loin area, and by adding beef genetics, they are improving the meat quality by increasing growth and increasing or improving feed efficiency, while also producing a carcass that is more desirable to the beef industry, according Kansas State University Professor Emeritus Dr. Ken Odde.
When making genetic selections for these crossbred cattle, producers are breeding for calving ease direct, carcass weight, marbling and rib eye area to ensure a high quality product that doesn’t receive any confirmational or typical-dairy discounts at the packing plant.
Derrell Peel, a livestock marketing specialist at Oklahoma State University said “The meat from these beef on dairy calves is marketed into more traditional beef markets, whereas straight Holstein beef in the past was often kind directed to a narrower market segment.”