ST. PAUL — Beginning the week of Feb. 24, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, working with state government and industry partners, will begin sampling and testing raw cow’s milk for the H5N1 flu virus to identify where the virus is present, monitor trends, and prevent its spread to unaffected dairy herds and poultry flocks around the state.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has announced it will begin testing raw cow's milk from Minnesota's dairy herds for the H5N1 avian flu virus. The effort will start next week, with the MDA saying the testing will identify where the virus is present and help prevent its spread to uninfected dairy herds and poultry flocks.

The State of Minnesota is going to begin testing its raw milk for the H5N1 bird flu, as the virus is being found more in dairy cows.

Department of Agriculture says there is no concern for the safety of the public milk supply, as all milk sold in stores is pasteurized to kill bacteria and viruses.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) says that beginning next week, they will work with state government and industry partners to begin sampling and testing raw cow's milk for the H5N1 flu virus.

Minnesota announced that it would begin testing the raw milk from its dairy cows to see if any of them have H5N1 bird flu beginning on Monday. The announcement comes after evidence suggested that there might be undetectible cases of bird flu spreading from cattle to humans across the U.