Bird flu is becoming a bigger concern as more dairy herds are affected. Dr. Keith Poulsen, Director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, says his current level of concern is about 8 or 9 on a scale of 1 to 10
“I think the only thing that makes me go to 10 is that if we start seeing major mutations that will then like if it goes into pigs or into people,” Poulsen said. “But the reason why I’m still pretty concerned is that if you look at just the economic impact on dairies, it’s estimated that the impact per 5000 cow dairy is about a million dollars per month.”
Polson notes that while herds in Texas appear to be recovering, the high turnover rate highlights a significant economic impact for the dairy industry.
