cows

Thirty-eight people in the state have been infected with the virus, most of them dairy workers who were exposed while working with infected cows or milk.

"The amount of work that's gone into nurturing the cows, emphasising best farming practice and transforming the milk one batch at a time to produce the best possible cheese is beyond estimation," he explained.

He said he believes the environmental harms wrought by the cows have been exaggerated.

“Finding the same mutation in cows is significant.”

Fifteen million years ago, now-extinct species of dolphins, whales and large sea cows roamed the world’s oceans, topping the underwater food chain.