A letter, sent last week to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack from major representatives of the U.S. dairy, turkey, and egg industries, may have had an impact.

Vilsack has reacted by telling the 2024 Farm Progress Show that trials are beginning for an HSN1 virus vaccine for cattle.

The letter from the industry leaders demanded that USDA and its federal partners develop safe and effective H5N1 vaccinations for dairy cows, turkeys, and egg-laying hens to help mitigate the circulation of bird flu in dairy herds and reduce the risk of spillover of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) into commercial turkey flocks and egg-laying operations.

They expressed concerns about the federal response as the HPAI virus has killed 101 million birds from U.S. commercial flocks. Since March, bird flu has infected at least 192 dairy herds, and 14 human cases have also been reported.

“As this outbreak of H5N1 continues to progress, it is clear that a new approach is needed. This includes the availability of animal vaccines effective against current and future strains of H5Nx that are necessary for a sustainable food supply as well as human and animal health,” representatives of the United Egg Producers, International Dairy Foods Association, National Milk Producers Federation and National Turkey Federation wrote in their letter to Vilsack.

In his announcement, Vilsack stated that the next step regarding the potential development of an H5N1 virus vaccine for cattle is taking place,

“Since we’re at the Farm Progress Show, we want to make sure we announce progress,” he said.

 He then provided an update on vaccine development to prevent avian flu in cattle.

According to the Secretary, the USDA has several companies  working on vaccines, and one company has now presented sufficient information to the USDA “to allow me to authorize, as I did this week, the first field trial of a vaccine for cattle H5N1 for safety purposes.”

Field trials are the next step in vaccine development. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to develop in the near term with the information we get from this trial,” Vilsack said.

The trial will allow USDA to determine whether it can proceed to the next steps necessary “to ensure safe and effective use of the vaccine.”

USDA’s Center of Veterinary Biologics oversees vaccine development. It accepts field trial applications for H5N1 vaccines that may be conducted outside of containment without terminal disposal of milk and other commodities. 

The Center indicated that all studies, even those not involving virus challenge, were to be conducted in containment facilities regardless of risk profile.

Since the letter to Vilsack, USDA has said the department  is leaving “no stone unturned in the fight against H5N1.”

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