TUESDAY, May 28 -- Bird flu virus has been detected in beef tissue from a sick dairy cow, but U.S. health officials stressed the country's meat supply remains safe.
In an issued Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said the cow had been culled because it was sick and the meat did not enter the food supply.
The agency stressed that it "is confident that the meat supply is safe. USDA has a rigorous meat inspection process, which includes Food Safety and Inspection Service [FSIS] veterinarians who are present at all federal livestock slaughter facilities. FSIS personnel inspect each animal before slaughter, and all cattle carcasses must pass a second inspection after slaughter and be determined to be fit to enter the human food supply.
" So far, the agency "has conducted tests on beef tissue from 96 cull[ed] dairy cows condemned at select FSIS-inspected facilities...
On May 22, 2024, viral particles were detected in tissue samples, including muscle, from one cow. To date, samples from 95 cows have tested negative for viral particles. No meat from these dairy cattle entered the food supply.
" Still, the positive test raises concerns about whether the virus might eventually find its way into the commercial beef supply. So far, the virus, also known as H5N1, has only been detected in dairy cattle and not in the beef cattle that are raised for meat. But experts believe the outbreak is bigger than what has been reported to this point.
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