Bird flu virus detected in beef from an ill dairy cow, but USDA says meat remains safe

By JOSH FUNK
Associated Press

Bird flu has been detected in beef for the first time, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture says the meat from a single sickened dairy cow was not allowed to enter the nation’s food supply and beef remains safe to eat. The department made the announcement Friday. The virus has been found in dairy cattle in nine states and in milk. It has also prompted the slaughter of millions of chickens and turkeys. But its presence in beef is a new development for the outbreak, which began in 2022.