Avian flu has hit farms in BC’s Fraser Valley, causing 7 outbreaks this month
Avian flu has spread to at least seven locations in B.C.’s Fraser Valley this month, with six cases reported since Thursday, and local farmers are doing everything they can to protect their flocks.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed that seven commercial poultry farms in Abbotsford and Chilliwack are infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Fraser Valley egg farmer Mark Siemens said avian flu has become an increasingly stressful problem in B.C.
“It has become an annual battle for farmers to try to keep their birds safe and healthy,” he said.
According to Siemens, all commercial farms in the province are in biosecurity lockdown: birds are kept in barns, farm gates are closed, all incoming vehicles must be disinfected, and every employee must change their clothes and wear personal protective equipment.
“There’s a lot of disinfectant being used everywhere to keep that disease out,” Siemens said.
There was an outbreak of avian flu at Siemens last year. The outbreak means all exposed birds on the farm must be killed.
“You spend your whole life taking care of these chickens… it’s a traumatic experience for a farmer,” he said.
BC Poultry Association spokesperson Shawn Hall said avian influenza is primarily spread by migratory waterfowl, including ducks, swans and swans, which spend their summers in the Arctic and then fly to their wintering grounds.
Right on the BC Flyway.
“We know that the biosecurity measures we take are minimizing the risk to farms,” Hall said. “We’re still seeing infections. There’s a lot of science going on right now, some research projects going on with the province to investigate further.”
He pointed to a research project studying air filtration in barns.
“We’re taking every measure we know of right now, and we’re investigating other measures, and whether they might also make a difference.”
Hall also stressed that avian flu is not a food safety issue.
“The poultry, chicken, turkey, eggs that you’re buying in your store are as safe now as they’ve ever been. Canada has the strictest food safety regulations anywhere in the world and rightfully so.”
BC’s Fraser Valley is seeing a sudden increase in avian flu cases. New infections have hit many commercial poultry farms in the past week, as risk levels have increased due to the wild bird migration season. Farmers are now taking extra precautions, reports Keir Junos.
An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian flu on a farm is effectively 100 percent fatal for exposed birds, Hall said.
“It spreads rapidly and is almost 100 percent lethal to chickens and turkeys,” Hall said.
“No farmer wants to have an infection on their farm. It’s devastating. Here in British Columbia, the majority are small family farms. There are several hundred poultry farms in BC and for us, it’s all about raising local food for British Columbians.”
Both Hall and Siemens said the risk of avian flu increases from 2022.
CFIA Estimate The highly pathogenic avian flu subtype has caused the death or culling of 8.8 million birds in BC. This number is more than half of all birds affected in Canada.
