Emergency aid available for HPAI-related milk losses

Dairy producers who have sustained milk losses among their herds due to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), specifically avian influenza virus type A (H5N1), can now apply for emergency financial assistance as of July 1.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has begun accepting applications through its updated Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP).

As of July 11, H5N1 had been confirmed in dairy cattle in 12 states: 27 herds each in Colorado and Idaho, 25 in Michigan, 21 in Texas, 13 in Iowa, eight in New Mexico, seven in Minnesota, five in South Dakota, four in Kansas, and one each in North Carolina, Ohio, and Wyoming.

Federal funding for indemnity payments is now available to dairy farmers who have sustained milk losses due to an H5N1 outbreak affecting dairy cattle in a dozen states.

"When something unexpected, like H5N1, threatens the economic viability of the producers we serve, we are committed to finding ways, where we have the authority to do so, to revisit existing program policies and provide the financial support needed to help producers recover and sustain production," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a June 27 press release.

The USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) expanded ELAP to assist with a portion of financial losses resulting from reduced milk production when cattle are removed from commercial milking in dairy herds having a confirmed positive H5N1 test. Positive test results must be confirmed through the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL).

Other requirements mandate that eligible adult dairy cattle must be:

• Part of a herd that has a confirmed positive H5N1 test from NVSL.
• Initially removed from commercial milk production at some point during the 14-day period before the sample collection date for the positive H5N1 test date through 120 days after the sample collection date for the positive H5N1 test.
• Milk-producing, currently lactating.
• Maintained for commercial milk production, in which the producer has a financial risk, on the beginning date of the eligible loss condition.

To apply, producers need to submit the following to FSA:

• Proof of herd infection through a confirmed positive H5N1 test, based on USDA's APHIS H5N1 case definition, on individual animal or bulk tank samples confirmed by NVSL.
• A notice of loss indicating the date when the loss is apparent, which is the sample collection date for the positive H5N1 test.
• An application for payment certifying the number of eligible adult dairy cows, the month the cows were removed from production, and the producer's share in the milk production.

The final date to file a notice of loss and application for payment for eligible losses is 30 days after the end of the prior calendar year, which is January 30, 2025.

Details on the updated ELAP policy to provide financial assistance for milk loss due H5N1 were published in the Federal Register on July 1. ELAP already provides emergency relief to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish to assist with losses resulting from disease, adverse weather, or other conditions, such as wildfires, that are not covered by other FSA disaster assistance programs.

The American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) has estimated the economic impact of H5N1 for dairy cattle to be $100 to $200 per cow.

Dr. Fred Gingrich, AABP executive director, previously told AVMA News that one of the barriers to reporting and disclosure from dairy producers is because there was no incentive to report.

The hope is that federal funding for indemnity payments will help overcome that barrier and help researchers and federal officials better understand the disease, control it's spread, figure out the epidemiology, and understand the long- and short-term impacts to not only the dairy industry, but also the entire agriculture sector and human health.

Dairy producers in all states are reminded to stay vigilant and follow established APHIS biosecurity, detection, and testing guidelines.

In addition to testing, enhanced biosecurity is critical to containing this virus. The USDA works closely with state animal health officials, producers, and industry organizations to provide guidance and resources for cleaning and disinfection, not only on affected farms, but also for all livestock producers as part of practicing good biosecurity. APHIS has made biosecurity documents available on its landing page.

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