A milk sample is taken from a cow for testing at Cornell University's Cornell Teaching Dairy Barn in Ithaca, New York, on December 11, 2024, following issuance of a federal order by the US Department of Agriculture requiring the country's milk supply to be tested. — A milk sample is taken from a cow for testing at Cornell University’s Cornell Teaching Dairy Barn in Ithaca, New York, on December 11, 2024, following issuance of a federal order by the US Department of Agriculture requiring the country’s milk supply to be tested.

With the US in the grip of a vast bird flu outbreak in its dairy herd and poultry flock, the Trump administration’s purge of federal health monitoring agencies is causing confusion. Massive lay-offs followed by equally rough attempts to rehire workers have led to fears of disruption in the monitoring and management of the health crisis. It’s a worrying blur, given that, according to the latest available data, 978 cow herds have been infected by the virus over the last year, contaminating their milk. With the US being one of the world’s leading milk producers and exporters, this situation is being closely watched internationally.

The situation at the Department of Agriculture is particularly confusing. After nearly 6,000 probationary employees – in other words, those who had been on the job for a year or less – were dismissed without notice in mid-February, an independent panel charged with reviewing the validity of federal employee dismissals ordered their immediate reinstatement on Wednesday, March 5, and for at least 45 days, while the legality of their dismissals is analyzed.

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