USDA says samples of US cattle sent for slaughter have tested positive for bird flu

(Reuters) – A bird flu virus was detected in tissue samples from a dairy cow sent for slaughter at a North American slaughterhouse, but not in 95 other animals, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Friday.

The agency said it prevents the animal’s meat from entering the national food stock.
U.S. agriculture and health officials have stepped up testing of meat and dairy products after an outbreak of bird flu among livestock. Both US workers have tested positive for bird flu since the virus was first detected in flocks in late March.

So far, muscle tissue testing has been completed on 96 of the 109 samples collected through the meat safety inspection, the USDA said Friday. The agency plans to update the results once the study is complete.

Agency officials found signs of the disease in animals that tested positive during necropsy and prevented the meat from entering the food supply, the USDA said.

“These measures give us greater confidence that the food safety system we have in place is working,” the company said in a statement. The department has also confirmed cases of bird flu in 58 dairy herds across nine states. (Reporting by Manus Mishra in Bengaluru and Tom Polanzek in Chicago)

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