B.C. poultry farmers face growing fear of avian flu
Global News
It's the first thing poultry farmers in British Columbia's Fraser Valley think about in the morning, and the last thing they worry about at night.
It’s the first thing poultry farmers in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley think about in the morning, and the last thing they worry about at night, according to industry spokeswoman Amanda Brittain.
The threat is avian flu, which has resulted in the deaths of millions of birds from infection or culling, and has become a pervasive fear for farmers as infections spread, said Brittain, chief information officer with the BC Poultry Association.
She said the industry has placed itself on level “red” — the highest of three levels — in its biosecurity program as farmers fight to fend off the outbreaks, which have been triggered by migrating wild birds.
“Before anybody goes into the barn, they’re changing their shoes two or three times,” said Brittain.
“They’re changing their clothing or putting on a biosecurity suit over their clothing. Extra precautions are taken to disinfect any vehicles that come on and off the farm, that sort of thing, because the virus is in the environment.”
Canadian Food Inspection Agency data show there have been 39 B.C. outbreaks of H5N1 avian flu since Oct. 20.
Almost five million birds died or have been “humanely depopulated” in the province since the first case of H5N1 was reported in April 2022.
The agency said in a statement that 34 premises had been infected in B.C. this month, 33 of them commercial poultry operations in the Fraser Valley.
