US orders nationwide milk testing in bid to stop spread of bird flu in cows

Published

7 months ago

December 8, 2024

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Milk will be tested for bird flu across the US in a bid to contain a virus spreading among farms.

A strand of the virus known as H5N1 – which has also been identified in birds in the UK – was detected in dairy cows in the US for the first time in March.

Since then, more than 700 herds have been infected in 15 states, compelling the government to order testing of raw or unpasteurised milk from 16 December.

Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack said it will give farms “better confidence”, adding: “It will put us on a path to quickly controlling and stopping the virus’s spread nationwide.”

At least 58 people in the US have been infected with bird flu, mostly farm workers who became mildly ill, but the risk to people remains low.

Pasteurisation or heat treatment kills the virus in milk, making it safe to drink, but government officials continue to warn against drinking it raw.

Dairy farmers and processors across the country have been reluctant to test animals or milk for the virus, fearing economic repercussions.

But Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, has led calls made by vets, farmers, scientists and academics for nationwide milk testing.

“It’s another step in the right direction,” he said. “They’re coming around that we need a better handle on it.”

Under the government order, those who handle raw milk intended for pasteurisation must provide samples on request for testing.

It requires reporting of positive tests to the US Department of Agriculture and for herd owners to give basic information to help keep track of the disease.

In the UK, health authorities are preparing more than five million doses of a bird flu vaccine after securing a contract for their manufacture.

The jab is only intended for use if the same strand affecting cows in the US – H5N1 – were to spread among humans in the UK.

Last month, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed cases of bird flu at a poultry farm in Yorkshire.

US

Elon Musk says he’s created his own political party – the ‘America Party’

Published

7 hours ago

July 5, 2025

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Elon Musk says he's created his own political party - the 'America Party'

Elon Musk says he has created a new political party – the America Party –
after asking his followers if he should do so in an online poll.

It follows his public falling out with Republican President Donald Trump.

On Friday, the billionaire had asked his followers on X whether a new US political party should be created.

On Saturday evening he wrote on the same platform: “By a factor of 2 to 1, you want a new political party and you shall have it!

“When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy.

“Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom.”

The world’s richest man made the announcement just one day after President Trump signed a tax-cut and spending bill into law on Friday, which Musk had fiercely opposed.

Musk had previously said we would form and fund a new political party to unseat lawmakers who supported the bill.

From bromance to bust-up

The Tesla boss backed Trump’s election campaign with more than a quarter of a billion dollars, later rewarded with a high profile role running the newly created department of government efficiency (DOGE).

But observers of the two men, both with huge wealth and reputations, wondered how long the bromance would last.

In May Musk left the role, still on good terms with Trump but criticising key parts of his legislative agenda.

After that, the attacks ramped up, with Musk slamming the sweeping tax and spending bill as a “disgusting abomination” and Trump hitting back in a barbed tit-for-tat.

Trump earlier this week threatened to cut off the billion-dollar federal subsidies that flow to Musk’s companies, and said he would even consider deporting him.

US

Is this the most powerful Trump’s been?

Published

12 hours ago

July 5, 2025

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👉 Follow Trump100 on your podcast app 👈

Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ has passed and he’s due to sign it into law on Independence Day. Mark Stone and David Blevins discuss how the bill will supercharge his presidency, despite its critics.

They also chat Gaza and Ukraine, as Donald Trump meets with freed Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander and talks to Vladimir Putin.

If you’ve got a question you’d like the Trump100 team to answer, you can email it to trump100@sky.uk.

You can also watch all episodes on our YouTube channel.

US

At least 13 people confirmed dead and more than 20 missing from girls camp in Texas flooding

Published

1 day ago

July 4, 2025

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At least 13 people confirmed dead and more than 20 missing from girls camp in Texas flooding

13 people have been killed in the US state of Texas after heavy rain caused flash flooding, according to local media reports.

Officials have also said more than 20 are missing from a girls’ camp in Texas.

As much as 10 inches (25 centimetres) of heavy rain fell in just a few hours overnight in central Kerr County, causing flash flooding of the Guadalupe River.

Judge Rob Kelly, the chief elected official in the county, confirmed fatalities from the flooding and dozens of water rescues so far.

A flood watch issued on Thursday afternoon estimated isolated amounts up to seven inches (17 centimetres) of rising water.

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