In a striking development, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has chosen to tighten import requirements on US breeding cattle. This move comes as a response to the increasing concerns over the H5N1 bird flu virus, according to a statement from the agency, which was cited by Reuters on Friday.
The first confirmed case of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a dairy herd was reported on March 25th, swiftly followed by the second human case in two years on April 1st. These instances have significantly heightened concerns within the US about the potential spread of the virus to both animals and humans.
“From April 29th, the CFIA has ramped up import requirements on dairy cattle arriving from the US,” the statement reported.
The agency has given a green light to a series of stringent measures. Import conditions for cattle from the US will now require negative HPAI test results for lactating dairy cattle. In addition, retail level milk testing will be done in search of HPAI viral fragments, and voluntary testing will be carried out on cows that do not, on the face of it, present clinical signs of the virus, according to the CFIA.
Take note, that since 2022, the presence of avian influenza in the United States has resulted in some alarming numbers. More than 90 million chickens have been infected, along with over 9,000 wild birds, and 34 dairy herds. Plus, the virus has crossed the interspecies barrier, infecting a person in Texas who was in close contact with infected cattle, as well as another individual who had exposure to infected poultry.
