The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration is tightening rules on a certain type of Salmonella in cattle. 

Salmonella Dublin can cause serious illness in humans, including miscarriages, and also can cause reduced milk production in cows. Cattle can be infected without showing side effects. 

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (Fødevarestyrelsen) is ramping up inspections in cattle that are found to be infected. The goal is to get rid of the pathogen in cattle production. 

Starting in July 2021, owners of infected herds will have two yearly inspections from the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration. Owners must pay for these inspections, to check whether restrictions are being complied with, as part of a recently-approved program. 

Right now, about 10 percent of herds are infected with S. Dublin, as compared to 25 percent in 2002. The original goal of the administration was to get rid of S. Dublin by 2012. In 2002, the number of infected consumers was 44; that number has since dropped by half, to 25 in 2017.

Future plans will have two levels of infection with S. Dublin—infected and non-infected cattle—instead of the current three. For infected herds, there will be more stringent requirements for action plans, and there will also be increased sampling. In addition, plans must be prepared with a veterinarian. 

Currently, farmers must already test animals for S. Dublin four times a year. For infected herds, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration sets unique requirements for handling the animals, to prevent the spread of infection. The farmers in question are also banned from selling or moving the cattle. 

Every year, 20-30 people become infected with S. Dublin, and the fatality rate is one in three. People can also become infected from S. Dublin from contact with cattle. Infected animals can transmit the disease through food, like fresh meat or unpasteurized milk, as well.