(NAFB.com) – The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced another round of states coming on board with the National Milk Testing Strategy that launched on December 6. It requires unpasteurized milk samples to be collected and shared with USDA for testing. This represents another step toward conducting complete nationwide surveillance under the NMTS and continues building on the measures taken by USDA and its federal and state partners since the H5N1 outbreak in dairy cattle was first detected in the U.S. in March 2024. The seven states that will be included in the second round of the testing strategy are Indiana, Maryland, Montana, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and Washington. While the new federal order is effective immediately and has been in effect since it was announced on December 6, USDA will continue working with other states to bring them on board as quickly as possible while also accommodating state-specific needs.