My contact letter to my Member of Congress (Rep. Matt Cartwright):
You need to get something in the farm bill to get the dairy farms to control the bird flu in the cows and protect the workers.
Extra funding is not enough, someone needs to mandate the farm industry does right by everybody.
Politico – Farm bill countdown – By MEREDITH LEE HILL and GRACE YARROW 05/13/2024
BIRD FLU OUTBREAK
FEDERAL RESPONSE: The federal government says it will spend millions in financial incentives to farmers as part of an effort to stem the spread of avian influenza in the nation’s dairy herds to keep the virus from mutating and spreading among humans.
Containment push: The investment comes after the federal government drew fire from public health experts for not testing enough cattle or workers exposed to infected herds, which they worry endangers the ability of the U.S. to rapidly respond if the virus mutates, Marcia, Meredith and David Lim report.
Keep an eye on: FDA Commissioner Robert Califf recently suggested the Biden administration is planning to submit a supplemental funding request as it responds to the bird flu crisis.
GOP lawmakers have told MA that it’s unclear if Congress can pass such a funding request, given ongoing fights about spending.