Agency of Agriculture briefing covers division work, HPAI testing and food‑processing capacity

Eby Florey, director of food safety and consumer protection at the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, told a legislative committee the agency's food-safety division has 44 staff and oversees meat inspection, animal health, weights and measures, ag products and maple, and dairy programs.

"Whether you live in Vermont or you're visiting this beautiful state, we impact you every single day," Florey said, describing weights and measures work that verifies fuel pumps, scales and retail scanners and a Randolph lab that certifies hydrometers used by maple producers.

Florey told the committee the division is working on multiple fronts related to the current highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) concerns and dairy testing. She said the agency has collected about 50 dairy samples so far and all have tested negative. The state is conducting sampling under a USDA-funded program to test dairy farms, she said, and federal sequencing is being used to track…