[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Minnesota DNR field testing staff offers voluntary testing to waterfowl hunters in seven western and central Minnesota counties when the waterfowl season opens this weekend[/title][fusion_text]Monday, September 28th 2015
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources field testing staff will offer voluntary testing to waterfowl hunters in seven western and central Minnesota counties when the waterfowl season opens this weekend. No cases of avian influenza have been detected in Minnesota ducks or geese since the outbreak of the flu in the state in March, and the Department of Health assures hunters that there are no food safety concerns with avian influenza. The DNR will have field testing stations in Morrison, Kandiyohi, Meeker, Pope, Stearns, Swift and Todd counties. Staff in these areas will solicit hunters to volunteer their birds for sampling, which involves taking a quick swab from each bird. Since there are no food safety concerns even with a positive test, hunters can immediately take home their birds. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends cooking whole duck or goose to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The voluntary testing, which is designed to sample 800 birds during the first two weeks of the season, is a joint effort of the DNR, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services and the U.S. Geological Survey. For more information, visit the DNR avian flu Web page at www.mndnr.gov/ai.
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