The virus, identified as H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b genotype D1.1., was confirmed through whole genome sequencing by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories on December 17, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said in a statement.

It said most detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza in U.S. dairy herds have resulted from movements linked to an original spillover event that occurred in Texas in late 2023, involving the B3.13 strain.

Earlier this year, two isolated spillovers were detected in Nevada and Arizona, involving the D1.1 strain.

The Wisconsin case, detected under USDA’s National Milk Testing Strategy, has not led to additional herd infections, APHIS said.

USDA said the findings do not pose a risk to consumer health or the commercial milk supply, as pasteurization kills the virus and milk from affected animals is diverted or destroyed.

It added that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to consider the risk to the public to be low.

USDA urged dairy producers to maintain strict biosecurity and report any livestock showing clinical signs or unusual wildlife deaths.

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators last week urged the administration of President Donald Trump to finalize a science-based plan for developing a bird flu vaccine for livestock, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

— Reporting by Anjana Anil in Bengaluru

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A team of researchers from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and Canadian universities want to help solve this problem, and they’re looking for a dairy farmer in Alberta to lend a hand.

Audrey Murray, an AAFC research scientist based in Charlottetown, is collaborating with Marico Arlos from the University of Alberta and Anne Laarman from the University of Waterloo in Ontario on a five-year study, which started this spring. The researchers are examining how wastewater from dairy operations can be naturally treated through constructed wetlands to produce water for irrigating cattle feed crops.

To do this, Murray has assembled a series of pilot-scale wetlands at the Harrington research farm in P.E.I. to test different design variables for a dairy wastewater treatment system that can be put into practice on dairy farms.

Murray is currently seeking a volunteer dairy farmer in Alberta to partner with her team so a full-scale version of the system can be set up in that province later on in the project.

“We hope to find one as soon as possible, partly because we want it to be a co-development project. We would also like input from the producer, so they can let us know what they want. We want something that works for farmers, not just something that works technically. If it doesn’t work in a way that is helping them to run their farm, then it doesn’t necessarily meet our goals,” says Murray.

Once the project is completed, it’s hoped progressive early-adopters interested in this technology will have a tried-and-tested model for building such a system on their own dairy farms.

—> READ MORE: Floating islands could help filter cattle feedlot storm ponds

Murray and her team hope to have an Alberta producer-partner recruited by next summer, so they can begin initial work on wastewater lagoon sampling and wetland design.

The researchers hope to hear from producers with 100 to 150 head of cattle and who also irrigate and grow feed crops, and they are getting the word out through farm conferences in Alberta and through Alberta Milk, the province’s dairy producers’ association. Those interested in participating in the study can contact AAFC at 1-855-773-0241 or by email.

Murray’s replicated experiments in P.E.I. are aimed at ironing out design parameters for effective wastewater treatment before a full-scale version of the system is set up in Alberta.

Once that’s up and running, likely by the third year of the project, farmers will be encouraged to check it out and familiarize themselves with this nature-based solution to water shortages.

“We’ve had calls from farmers in different parts of Canada who are thinking about wetlands on their property. Farmers are smart people, and a lot of them read research or are interested in this type of thing already. We’re basically just providing an opportunity,” Murray says.

She adds the goal is to provide dairy producers in Alberta with a clear roadmap for treating wastewater naturally and provide them with an extra irrigation source at a time when it’s most needed.

“This is what farmers are looking for. They need some direction,” Murray says. “One of our deliverables is to produce design guidance for this specific purpose in Alberta (and) find something that works well.”

She notes one reason researchers chose Alberta for the project was because that’s where they saw the greatest need for this kind of water treatment and re-use solution. “It’s important especially in an Alberta agricultural context. It might be a slightly harder sell in P.E.I., I think.

“They have water shortages in Alberta, and at the time we wrote this proposal, they were experiencing severe drought and had been told that they would get half the water allotments they usually get. If you’re a farmer in that position, you have to then find ways to make the best use of the water that you have, and water re-use could be a part of that.”

Murray has conducted other wetland studies in P.E.I., researching how constructed wetlands on potato farms can naturally filter water from field runoff before it enters nearby streams and rivers. As she points out, wetlands also provide natural habitats for many species of plants, animals and insects, and they can even help capture carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Murray views her current wetlands project as one more application of her previous research, which she maintains hasn’t been explored for dairy farms in Canada up to now.

The middle layer

Here’s how the plan is envisioned to work in Alberta. Many dairy farms there have holding lagoons where wastewater from manure, used animal bedding and dairy production practices such as milk-house rinsing is stored. Farmers will often mix the contents of the lagoon in the spring, producing a nutrient-rich slurry that can be applied to crop fields as a natural fertilizer before planting.

Prior to mixing, the wastewater in these holding lagoons separates into layers, with a top layer that is thick and fatty and a bottom layer where much of the solids settle. There’s also a middle layer that contains the cleanest liquid — which is the basis of Murray’s constructed wetlands research. The treatment system starts with extracting this middle layer of liquid from unstirred holding lagoons.

“The ideal scenario is to build a wetland sightly downhill from the holding lagoon. A pipe is placed into the right location of the holding lagoon, connecting it to the wetland, and then gravity does the rest. This engineering solution is very common in municipal wastewater treatment plants,” Murray says.

As the water flows through the wetland, its quality is improved through physical and biological processes. It then enters a final mixing pond, where it is diluted with clean pond water and brought to quality standards required for use as a supplementary source of irrigation water.

“The wastewater is produced on site and the irrigation infrastructure is already there, so it’s just about tapping into that extra water source. It’s very efficient,” Murray says. She adds the end product may contain a bit more nutrients than regular pond water, but stresses it’s not meant to be used for fertigation purposes.

Murray is building her mini-version of this system using wastewater provided by local P.E.I. dairy farmers and mesocosms — that is, controlled outdoor experiments designed to simulate natural ecosystems. Various mesocosms consisting of different wetland soils and plants are being used to determine which are most effective in treating the wastewater.

Researchers are testing the output water quality from each mesocosm, and determining the ideal design concept and projected cost for the entire system, before moving forward with the full-scale design in Alberta.

Murray sees more possibilities for treating waste streams from other agricultural operations such as hog barns or feedlots this way, and she says she’d be interested in continuing her wastewater treatment and re-use research in this area.

“This is beyond the scope of this project, but I can see that there are many potential applications and a lack of clear design guidance for farmers who are interested in these technologies,” Murray says. “Hopefully there’ll be a continued appetite for this kind of research in the future. I think there might be.”

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“In international relations, the pot can call the kettle black — but doing so doesn’t build trust, goodwill, or alliances, and weakens credibility,” said Al Mussell, Agri-Food Economic Systems’ research lead and author of the policy paper.

Despite criticisms of Canadian dairy policy, the American dairy industry has many of the same protectionist tendencies Canada does, Mussell argued in Throwing Stones from a Glass House: Understanding the US Narrative on Canada Dairy Policy.

Complaints from the industry, President

Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump wrote an open letter in which he accused Canada of charging “extraordinary Tariffs to (American) Dairy Farmers — up to 400%.”

This figure has been disputed, though Canada’s dairy tariffs are over 200 per cent.

Recently members of the National Milk Producers Federation in the U.S. told the U.S. International Trade Commission that Canada was undermining American dairy producers’ access to foreign markets with “artificially low-priced exports.”

Despite the frequent American complaints, “there are many similarities in dairy and trade policies between the U.S. and Canada,” Mussell said in a news release.

Systems compared

These policy parallels include pricing milk collected from farms in end-use classes and “barriers to imports that facilitate the operating of their respective milk marketing systems,” the paper said.

In trade policy, both countries use tariffs and tariff-rate quotas (TRQs).

“The level of access that Canada offers to its dairy market via TRQs is … proportionately much higher than the U.S.,” due to high accessibility for products like skim milk powder,” said Mussell.

The two countries are also remarkably similar in how they administer permits and allocate TRQ.

The U.S. has objected to the allocation of dairy import permits by Canada to processors, “but this is what the U.S. does,” Mussell wrote.

He noted Canada allocates dairy import permits proportional to historical imports or output and so does the U.S.

Although the U.S. has complained that Canada doesn’t fill some of its dairy import quotas, Mussell said the U.S. leaves many of its own dairy import quotas unfilled.

Meanwhile, the U.S. also employs policy measures that distort markets, like pooling of milk revenue to advantage dairy manufacturing, and non-tariff barriers relating to Grade A milk products that the U.S . employs and Canada does not.

Mussell also noted the crucial differences between the two countries’ systems, like the pricing structure. Canada’s system is based mostly on cost of production. The U.S. pricing structure is more variable, requiring government stabilization program support.

The similarity between the two nations’ dairy trade policy presents an opportunity for alignment, Mussell concluded.

The full policy note is available here.

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Why it matters: Canada’s supply management system remains a sticking point in trade negotiations with the U.S.

“This agreement, negotiated in close consultation with Canadian dairy stakeholders, will result in certain minor policy changes to Canada’s TRQ (tariff rate quotas) administration, and does not amend Canada’s market access commitments,” International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu and Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald said in a statement.

New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay added in a separate statement that the government was pleased the dispute has now been settled, and New Zealand exporters are guaranteed better access to the Canadian market.

“Today’s agreement reinforces support for the rules-based trading system,” McClay said.

New Zealand launched a claim against Canada in May 2022, arguing that Ottawa’s implementation of dairy tariff rate quotas under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) trade agreement were against the its rules.

Under the new agreement, Canada has committed to make commercially meaningful changes to the way it administers its dairy quotas under CPTPP, according to the New Zealand government. The Canadian government added that this means there are technical policy changes but these are limited to quotas administered under the terms of the CPTPP.

Canada’s supply management system, which since the 1970s has tightly controlled supplies of dairy, eggs and poultry by restricting production and limiting imports through onerous tariffs, has become a sticking pointing in its ongoing trade negotiations with the U.S.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized what he calls tremendously high Canadian tariffs on dairy products.

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Before this detection, all of the 957 bird flu infections among dairy cow herds reported this year had been caused by the same strain of the virus, according to the USDA.

The agency on Wednesday said that genome sequencing of milk from Nevada had identified a different strain present in dairy cows for the first time, according to the email.

That strain was the predominant genotype among wild birds this past fall and winter, the email said. It was identified through the agency’s National Milk Testing Strategy, which began testing milk across the country for bird flu in December.

Reuters could not immediately verify the email with the USDA. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Nevada Department of Agriculture said in a Jan. 31 statement that herds in two counties had been placed under quarantine due to bird flu detections. It did not identify which strain had infected the herds, only that the strain had been detected in wild birds.

The state agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The USDA on January 31 reported four dairy herds in Nevada with bird flu, according to agency data.

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Bovaer 10 consists of silicon dioxide (basically sand), propylene glycol (a food stabilizer) and the active compound 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP).

Bovaer and 3-NOP were approved for use in Canada in early 2024. Canadian beef and dairy industry leaders generally lauded this as a positive development.

There has been an enormous amount of misinformation about the safety of 3-NOP, with some labelling milk from herds fed the additive as “Frankenmilk”. Others have been concerned it could make its way to humans via beef.

The bottom line is that 3-NOP is safe. Let’s unpack some of the major misunderstandings.

Why do we need to reduce methane production?

In our attempts to reduce global warming, most of the focus has been on CO₂ as a a major human-produced greenhouse gas. But methane is also a greenhouse gas, and although we produce less of it, it is a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO₂.

Agriculture is the largest human-produced source of methane. As cattle herds expand to fuel our increasing desire for meat and milk, reducing methane production by cows is an important way to reduce greenhouse emissions.

There are several ways to do this. Stopping the bacteria in cows’ stomachs that generate methane from making methane is one approach.

The methane cows and sheep produce is not from the animals themselves, but from microbes that live in their digestive systems. 3-NOP stop the enzymes that do the final step of methane synthesis in these microbes.

3-NOP is not the only compound trialled as a feed additive. A seaweed-based Australian product, Rumin8, for example, is also under development. Saponins, soap-like chemical compounds found in plants, and essential oils have also been investigated.

However, 3-NOP is currently one of the most effective treatments.

Is it a poison?

There is concern on social media about Bovaer “poisoning our food”.

But, as we say in toxicology, it’s the dose that makes the poison. Arsenic, for example, is lethal at 2–20 milligram per kilogram of body weight.

In contrast, 3-NOP was not lethal at the doses used in safety studies, up to 600 mg 3-NOP per kg of body weight. At 100 mg per kg of body weight in rats, it had no adverse effects.

Does it cause reproductive issues?

The effect of 3-NOP on reproductive organs has caused a lot of comment.

Research in rats and cows found that doses of 300–500 mg per kg of body weight resulted in ovarian and testicular shrinkage.

To put that in perspective, to achieve the same exposure in humans, a 70 kg human would need to consume 21–35 grams (around 2 tablespoons) of pure 3-NOP a day every day for weeks on end to see this effect.

No human will be exposed to this amount as 3-NOP does not enter milk – it’s fully metabolized in the cow’s gut.

No cow will be exposed to these levels either.

Does it cause cancer?

The ingredient 3-NOP is not genotoxic or mutagenic, meaning it can’t damage DNA. So 3-NOP’s effects are dose-limited, meaning small doses aren’t harmful while very high doses are (unlike radiation, where there is no safe dose).

At a dose of 300 mg per kg of body weight, researchers found benign tumours in the small intestines of female rats, but not male rats, after 2 years of daily consumption. At a 100 mg of 3-NOP per kg of body weight, no tumours were seen.

Cows are consuming less than 2 grams Bovaer 10 a day (of which only 10 per cent or 0.2 grams, is 3-NOP). This is around 1,000 times less than the acceptable daily intake of 1 mg 3-NOP per kg of body weight a day for a 450 kg cow.

This level of intake will not result in tumours, or any of the other adverse effects.

How much will humans be exposed to?

Consumers of milk and meat will not be exposed to 3-NOP. It does not get into milk or meat: it is completely metabolised in the cow’s gut.

Farmers might be exposed to a small amount handling the feed additive and industrial workers producing 3-NOP will be potentially exposed to more. Farmers and industrial workers already wear personal protective equipment to reduce exposure to other agricultural chemicals – and are recommended to do so with Bovaer 10 as well.

How extensively has it been tested?

Over the 15 years 3-NOP was developed, it was subject to multiple reviews by the European Food Safety Authority, the United Kingdom’s Food Safety Authority and others.

It has been extensively tested over months of exposure to cattle with no adverse effects. Some studies actually say it improves milk and meat quality.

Bovaer has been approved for use in dairy cattle by the European Union since 2022 and in Japan in 2024. It is also used in many other countries, including in beef products in Australia.

Very little 3-NOP enters the environment (less than 0.2 per cent of the ingested dose), it does not accumulate and is readily broken down so is not an environmental risk.

Since humans are not exposed to 3-NOP though milk and meat, long-term human exposure is not an issue.

How was Bill Gates involved?

Bill Gates has invested in a different feed treatment for methane, the Australian seaweed based Rumin8. But he has nothing to do with Bovaer 10.

The company that makes 3-NOP has received research grants for malaria control research from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, but not for 3-NOP.

The bottom line is that adding 3-NOP to animal feed poses no risk to consumers, animals or the environment.

— Ian Musgrave is a senior lecturer in pharmacology at the University of Adelaide. Additional files from Glacier FarmMedia.

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The move comes after livestock and veterinary groups pushed the USDA to strengthen its current surveillance approach, calling it inadequate to contain the virus, according to state records and industry documents reviewed by Reuters.

The agency in early November will begin sampling milk in states where dairy cattle have contracted bird flu, including testing specific farms as needed to track the virus’ spread, Vilsack said in an interview.

USDA will then begin testing in states that have not identified the virus in dairy cows, he said.

The rapid spread of the virus in California, where nearly 200 dairy herds have tested positive since late August, contributed to the USDA’s decision that further surveillance efforts are needed, Vilsack said.

“These situations evolve over time and as they evolve over time there needs to be a recalibration and adjustment,” Vilsack added.

The effort adds to an emergency order issued in April that requires testing of cattle moving across state lines, and a USDA program that covers farmers’ costs for voluntary testing. Reuters previously reported USDA had softened those rules following pushback from state officials and industry representatives.

Bird flu has infected nearly 400 dairy herds in 14 states and at least 36 people, according to data from the USDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Virologists and federal health officials are also concerned the convergence of bird flu and seasonal influenza could enable the bird flu virus to mutate if people become co-infected, making it more easily transmissible among humans.

For now, the CDC has said the danger to the general population remains low.

The U.S. Animal Health Association, whose members include the largest dairy, egg, and poultry trade groups, and the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, a veterinary group, developed recommendations this autumn for how USDA could improve its approach, according to the documents, which have not previously been reported.

The USDA had previously said eliminating bird flu in the nation’s dairy cattle was possible using its prior approach.

The agency still wants to eradicate the virus, Vilsack said, adding that Colorado’s use of bulk milk testing eliminated new dairy cow cases in the state.

Dairy farmers in some states have resisted voluntary testing of their animals for fear of economic repercussions.

‘Inadequate’

The U.S. Animal Health Association passed a resolution on Oct. 16 at its annual meeting that emphasized the need for a coordinated state and federal surveillance plan, according to a copy of the document seen by Reuters, which has since been posted on the association web site.

“The narrow requirement of pre-movement testing of only lactating dairy cows moving interstate is inadequate,” it said. It recommends instead that the agency coordinate livestock sectors and states in a national surveillance and data collection strategy.

“We can’t wait for a virus to burn out. That strategy has not worked,” said Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, who has been involved in discussions about the new recommendations.

The American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) in September also drafted recommendations on how the USDA could better contain the virus, with weekly testing of milk tankers, among other strategies, according to emails and a copy of the draft obtained from the Missouri Department of Agriculture in a public records request.

“The disease continues to spread and current voluntary surveillance is inadequate,” wrote AABP Executive Director K. Fred Gingrich II to a group listserv on Sept. 28.

He noted that just 50 of the nation’s 27,000 dairy herds at the time were enrolled in USDA’s voluntary herd testing program, and that 17.6 million commercial poultry birds had been killed after flocks tested positive for the bovine variant of bird flu, suggesting that dairy farms are fueling the virus’ spread.

There are now 64 farms enrolled in the voluntary testing program, according to USDA data.

The document was sent on Sept. 30 by Missouri’s state veterinarian to other state animal health officials and a USDA official at the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which is managing the agency’s bird flu response, the emails show.

The bovine practitioners group’s recommendations came after it had participated in a September meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association alongside representatives from the poultry, cattle and swine industries, the emails show.

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“While we understand the traditional and business significance of attending these events, the current HPAI situation in the U.S. may pose a risk of introducing and spreading the virus into Canada and may negatively impact the health of your animals,” the CFIA said on its website.

At the end of August, California became the fourteenth state this year to report an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, in dairy cattle. Sixteen people, mainly farm workers, have also tested positive for the virus.

The CFIA said it doesn’t recommend showing beef or dairy cattle at U.S. exhibitions —particularly if the exhibition is in a state with a known bird flu outbreak in cattle or poultry.

Some exhibitions may have testing requirements for cattle entering the show.

“If you choose to participate, be sure to contact exhibition organizers to find out what is required before your departure from Canada,” the CFIA said.

Since mid-August, Canadian cattle returning to the country after stays of less than 60 days in the U.S have required a special export certification statement, signed by a veterinarian, saying the animal has tested negative for avian influenza in the last seven days. Lactating cattle entering Canada from the U.S. have required a negative test for avian influenza since late April.

The CFIA recommends isolating beef cattle for 21 days after they return to Canada.

Dairy cattle returning to Canada will be subject to isolation requirements, a bulk tank test, testing of individual cattle, and other measures, the CFIA said.

To date, no cases of avian influenza have been reported in Canadian cattle.

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More than 190 herds have been infected across the U.S. since March, along with 13 dairy and poultry farm workers, according to federal data. No human cases were confirmed in California, and the virus remains a low risk to the general public.

Efforts to prevent the spread of the virus were being seen at state fairs around the U.S., including he use of fake cows for milking demonstrations, increased testing, quarantines and cancelations of events in some states, according to reports.

Meanwhile, the Philippines lifted its ban on importing domesticated and wild birds, including poultry products, from California and South Dakota, Manila’s farm ministry said on Aug. 31. The Philippines imposed the temporary ban on California in January and on South Dakota in November last year after confirmed outbreaks of H5N1 subtype of the highly pathogenic avian influenza, which has killed millions of infected birds and poultry.

In Canada, there have yet to be any confirmed cases of bird flu in dairy cattle with the last outbreak in a commercial poultry flock coming six months ago. However, cases in wild birds continue to be found. In it’s Sep. 4 report the World Organisation for Animal Health revealed cases of bird flu in wild birds in Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Ontario. Only one primary control zone for highly pathogenetic avian influenza (HPAI) remains active in Canada. That zone involves a premises in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan, where the presence of HPAI was found in a backyard poultry flock on November 15, 2023.

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