Photo: Russ Allison Loar/Flickr
On November 3, 2025, FAC joined with California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. in filing a landmark transparency lawsuit against the California Department of Food and Agriculture (“CDFA”) seeking access to public records documenting which dairies CDFA has placed under quarantine for bird flu.
The risk of bird flu infection impacts dairy workers and rural communities because a strain of the virus has become endemic in California’s over 1,000 dairies, most of which are in the Central Valley. On December 18, 2024, Governor Newsom declared an emergency in response to the public health threats posed by bird flu. A number of dairies have been placed under quarantine to prevent the spread of bird flu.
In announcing his declaration, the governor emphasized the importance of “ensuring that Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information.” Unfortunately, CDFA didn’t seem to get that message. It is refusing to disclose records requested by California Rural Legal Assistance that would show which dairies have been quarantined.
That information is essential to the public’s understanding of how its government is meeting the challenge posed by bird flu. It would also enable targeted outreach to communities most at risk as well as epidemiological research tracking the disease, which is essential to understanding and fighting it.
FAC is bringing this lawsuit with California Rural Legal Assistance because the people have a compelling interest in the truth about bird flu outbreaks – but especially those people who are most directly at risk, the dairy workers and their communities. Without full transparency, they cannot have confidence in the government’s efforts to protect public health.