Box Elder County Declares Emergency After Bird Flu Quarantines Half of Dairy Farms
Updated
Updated · KSL.com · Jul 10
Box Elder County Declares Emergency After Bird Flu Quarantines Half of Dairy Farms
3 articles · Updated · KSL.com · Jul 10
Summary
A June 25 positive test at a Box Elder County dairy farm triggered a local emergency order Thursday, after quarantine and monitoring measures spread to about half the county's dairy farms and cows.
The restrictions can last up to 90 days and have already caused severe milk-production losses, with officials saying the outbreak's cost will exceed county resources.
The emergency declaration lets the county tap state and federal coordination for monitoring, protective equipment, biosecurity and added financial support for affected farmers and ranchers.
County officials said dairy-cattle infections often move through shared vehicles, equipment, milk handling and worker movement between farms; cow death rates are usually under 2%, though about 10% may not fully recover milk output.
Bird flu has circulated in northern Utah wildlife and livestock since the broader 2022 U.S. outbreak, with a bald eagle and tundra swan testing positive in Box Elder County and eight dairy cattle cases reported in Cache County in 2024.