TEMPE, AZ — The Arizona Department of Agriculture confirmed the first case of bird flu in milk from a dairy herd in Maricopa County on Friday.
This announcement coincided with Senator Mark Kelly's visit to a dairy facility in Tempe, where he discussed the challenges facing the dairy industry, including tariffs and workforce issues.
"One of the biggest things we would like to have in the dairy industry is to have a worker visa program," said Craig Caballero, CEO of the United Dairymen of Arizona. Senator Kelly emphasized the importance of addressing workforce issues, stating, "Making sure that the dairy farmers have the workforce they need to do jobs that are rather challenging, but are incredibly important to food security here in the United States, that's kind of on the top of the list."
Caballero highlighted the limitations of the H2-A visa program for the dairy industry, noting that it is seasonal and not applicable to year-round operations like dairies. Senator Kelly also addressed the impact of tariffs, expressing his intent to work with Republicans to prevent them.
Despite the bird flu detection, both Caballero and Senator Kelly assured that there is no health concern as the milk is pasteurized, which kills the virus.
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