Advocates Sue CA Department of Food and Agriculture for Withholding Bird Flu Dairy Quarantine Records
Advocates Sue CA Department of Food and Agriculture for Withholding Bird Flu Dairy Quarantine Records
Despite Governor’s emergency declaration, CDFA denies the public critical information about spread of virus.
SACRAMENTO, CA – NOVEMBER 3, 2025 – California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA) and First Amendment Coalition filed suit against the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) today over CDFA’s refusal to disclose critical information related to the spread of H5N1, an avian influenza virus, in California dairies.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in December 2024 in response to H5N1, stating his intention that all “Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information” about the disease.
CDFA, nonetheless, has failed to provide the public with critical information related to the spread of H5N1—including any details about the hundreds of dairies it has placed under quarantine. In so doing, CDFA has repeatedly violated the California Public Records Act and prevented CRLA and the broader public from utilizing public records to protect public health.
“The dangers H5N1 poses to dairy workers and the wider public can be significantly reduced through research, sanitation protocols, and other protective behaviors, many of which are required by state regulations,” noted CRLA attorney David Cremins. “To ensure those protective behaviors are in place, we must know which dairies are impacted by H5N1 outbreaks. CDFA is the only state agency empowered to gather such information, but they are keeping the public in the dark about this evolving threat.”
“The people have a compelling interest in knowing where bird flu is active,” FAC legal director David Loy said. “Only with full transparency can the people have full confidence that their government is doing all it can to protect public health.”
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Media Contacts
David Cremins
Equal Justice Works Fellow, sponsored by The Vertex Foundation
California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc.
(559) 441-8721, dcremins@crla.org
Suzanne Ito
Director of Communications
First Amendment Coalition
916-996-2792, sito@firstamendmentcoalition.org
About California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc.
California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA) is a nonprofit, anti-poverty law firm that dismantles unjust systems through community lawyering in California’s historically rural areas. We work with people priced out of private legal representation so they can uphold civil rights in housing, employment, health, and public education. Through our statewide network of Rural Justice Centers, communities can access direct legal services, place-based advocacy to expand equity in civic institutions, and specialized litigation to advance civil rights. Learn more at crla.org.
About First Amendment Coalition
The First Amendment Coalition protects and promotes a free press, freedom of expression, and the people’s right to know. Nonpartisan and nonprofit, FAC believes that the broadest range of engaged and informed communities is essential to the health of our democracy—that the values expressed by the First Amendment provide a blueprint for an inclusive, equitable society and a responsive, accountable government. To that end, FAC educates, advocates, and litigates to advance government transparency and First Amendment protections for all.