Bird flu gained transmission to cows a couple of years ago. It was also found that raw milk might become a carrier for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, though the transmissibility to humans from milk remains questionable. Since then, there’s been a huge concern that raw milk farms might be infecting the environment with pathogenic HPAI strains by dumping raw milk.
Problem with this thinking is that raw milk produced for human consumption is rarely dumped. Raw milk produced for pasteurization is dumped all the time, by the thousands of gallons, any time the milk processor refuses to accept a delivery.
Here’s another example of raw milk for pasteurization jamming up the local wastewater treatment facilities. Read more Vermont Business Magazine:
St. Albans Creamery to pay penalties of $210,500 and implement corrective actions
TLDR: praised local food processor (pasteurization plant) sells out to the large conglomerate Dairy Farmers of America in 2019, starts dumping excess milk into wastewater from 2021-2024, interrupts local wastewater processing facility, faces penalties
Relevant reading: How dairies can prevent the spread of bird flu in wastewater
