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Box Elder County declares emergency amid 'severe' milk production loss
KSL.com • • health
Key Points:
- Box Elder County officials declared a local state of emergency after a dairy farm tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza, affecting about half of the county's dairy cows and farms with severe milk production losses.
- The emergency order enables coordination with state and federal agencies for resource sharing, continued monitoring, biosecurity measures, and financial support for affected farmers.
- The avian influenza outbreak, ongoing since 2022, has killed millions of birds nationwide and contributed to egg price increases, with recent cases in northern Utah counties including Box Elder.
- The virus can spread among dairy cattle through shared equipment, vehicles, and personnel movement between farms, causing low death rates but potentially long-term milk production issues in infected cows.
- Officials emphasize support for local agricultural producers, highlighting their importance to the community and the need for accurate information and resources during the outbreak.
