Avian flu detected in Fraser Valley, home to 80% of British Columbia's poultry farms

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed a commercial poultry farm in Abbotsford has tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus.

It marks the first case of avian flu detected in the Fraser Valley, where 80 per cent of British Columbia's poultry farms are located.

The infected premises have been placed under quarantine by the CFIA and the ministry has notified producers within a 10-kilometre radius, the government said Thursday in a statement.

Previous outbreaks in the Fraser Valley have prompted culls of millions of birds, although poultry groups now say they have tight control measures to prevent the spread from one farm to the next.

Amanda Brittain, the director of communications with B.C. Egg, said the affected flock was a turkey farm in west Abbotsford. 

She said anytime the virus is detected, the entire flock must be humanely euthanized to prevent spread.

In this case, Brittain said the farmer lost about 4,000 birds.

"It's very concerning to farmers ... this farmer would have lost his or her whole flock," said Brittain.

Better prepared?

Lisa Bishop-Spencer, a director at Chicken Farmers of Canada, said when avian influenza spread through Canada in 2004, it first entered Abbotsford. 

"The difference between us now and us then is that we've learned a lot in terms of how we can mitigate the virus as best we can."

Bishop-Spencer said even though farmers are better prepared to deal with outbreaks, the new strain is highly pathogenic among wild birds.

"Usually we will see it in a low path form in wild birds and then it will get into a barn and convert into a highly pathogenic form, but what we're seeing is this is a different kind of strain."

Under a provincewide order, commercial poultry producers with 100 or more birds are required to keep them indoors until June 13.  Another order requires bird owners to not take their birds to co-mingling events until June 19.

Canadian poultry and egg producers have lost more than 1.7 million birds to a countrywide outbreak of avian flu, with Alberta and Ontario being the hardest hit. 

The CFIA said this number includes both birds that have been killed by the deadly virus and those that have been euthanized to prevent its spread.