By Brandi Buzzard on March 6, 2025
Avian Influenza and Its Relationship to Cattle
A Kansas rancher talks bird flu in cattle
Avian influenza worries me a lot. No, I don’t have a large poultry farm with several barns of chickens. However, I would be devastated if my flock of 22 backyard chickens – which took me six months to raise to egg production – fell ill. But on a larger scale, a highly infectious, easily transmittable virus spread via biting insects or other wildlife would be an absolute nightmare in the beef industry.
Outside of the many cases of H5N1 on poultry farms (nearly 167 million birds as of Feb. 27), avian influenza has also spread to dairy cows. In fact, there have been nearly 1,000 dairy herds in 17 states with outbreaks of H5N1. In poultry, H5N1 has a very high mortality rate and millions of birds have died in the last several months. However, in dairy cows, the disease is generally not fatal but does have other unfortunate symptoms, including decreased milk output, lethargy, low appetite and irregular milk appearance. Interestingly, usually influenza symptoms affect the respiratory system of the infected animal, however, in dairy cows H5N1 is focused on the mammary system, aka the cow’s udder.
Dairy cows that have contracted avian influenza are quarantined from the herd and their milk disposed of – it does not go into the milk supply chain and animals are tested consistently until the virus has passed from their body. Importantly, there is no reason to avoid dairy products, beef or poultry during this avian influenza outbreak. According to Jacqueline Nolting, an assistant professor at Ohio State University’s Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, cooking and pasteurization inactivates influenza viruses so those products are safe to consume.
Many have asked the question, why not vaccinate? True, there is a vaccine for both birds and humans, however, there is no H5N1 vaccine for cows. Furthermore, some of our U.S. trade partners that accept our dairy exports – both animals and products – have strict regulations against vaccinations, so that adds a further layer of challenges.
I don’t share this information to alarm you, but to create awareness of how viruses can spread and affect agriculture as whole. Dairy farmers are keeping close eyes on their herds for symptoms of the disease and are giving treatment as quickly as possible. As cattle owners, we watch our herd daily for signs of illness or lameness, and this situation has impressed upon me even more how important it is to act quickly when illness is found. The faster we can react and care for sick animals, the lower their risk for death and faster they can return to the herd.
Do I have the answers to curbing the current outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza? Absolutely not. But it prompts me to think even deeper about the health of our cow herd, the overall traceability of diseases in the beef industry and how a disease outbreak in beef cattle would be handled if, God forbid, an outbreak was to occur.
Hopefully, I never have to see how our industry reacts but just in case, we will hope for the best while preparing for the worst.
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