- Box Elder County declared a local emergency due to avian influenza impact.
- The outbreak led to a quarantine affecting half of the county's dairy farms.
- County officials coordinate with agencies for resources to support affected farmers.
BRIGHAM CITY — Box Elder County officials have declared a local state of emergency after a sample from a dairy farm in the county tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Box Elder County commissioners signed off on an emergency order on Thursday, following a positive sample that was reported on June 25. It prompted quarantine measures and a mandatory monitoring period that can last up to 90 days, affecting about half of the county's dairy cows and half of the county's dairy farms, while causing "severe milk production loss," officials said.
The emergency order allows the county to coordinate resources with state and federal agencies to respond to the challenge and support local farmers and ranchers, as the cost of impact is expected to be beyond the county's current resources.
Officials said that it can also help with the need for continued monitoring, personal protective equipment and biosecurity measures on affected farms, while also making more financial resources available.
In a statement, Tyler Vincent, the commission's chair, explained that the measure offers coordination, resources and accurate information for the affected farmers, many of whom have supported an industry that built the county's communities and reflects its heritage.
"Box Elder County's agricultural producers are among the hardest-working people in our county," he said. "We are committed to supporting them, working together through this challenge and ensuring they have access to the resources and information they need."
Highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, has impacted Utah and the country in various ways since a massive outbreak that began in 2022.
While there have been few cases and small impacts to human health, it has killed millions of commercial and wild birds over the past four years, contributing to some of the country's egg price increases in that time. It can also affect some mammals, including dairy cattle.
It's unclear how cattle became infected in the recent case, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that a bald eagle also tested positive for the virus in Box Elder County last month, after a tundra swan tested positive in March.
Most other positive cases reported this year have been in nearby Davis, Duchesne and Weber counties, suggesting some spread among the wild bird population in and around northern Utah that could have been in contact with other animals.
Box Elder County officials say bird flu cases among dairy cattle often spread through the sharing of vehicles and equipment, milk handling, people moving between farms and other normal farm operations that move cattle. Death rates are usually low, at under 2%, but about a tenth of cows that get sick may never fully recuperate and produce milk the same way, they added.
Dairy cattle have been impacted in Utah before, with eight dairy cattle testing positive in Cache County in 2024.
