Avian flu detected on poultry farm in Chilliwack

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says avian flu has been detected on a commercial poultry farm in Chilliwack, about 100 kilometres east of Vancouver in B.C.'s Fraser Valley.

Amanda Brittain from the B.C. Poultry Association says the affected business was a small free-range farm with about 8,000 birds. 

Once avian influenza is detected in a farm, the CFIA requires all birds in that farm to be euthanized, Brittain said.

"In all likelihood they would all die of avian influenza anyway so this is the humane thing to do," she said.

The CFIA will work with the farm to ensure it is cleaned properly and compensated by insurance, Brittain added. 

The H5N1 strain, which is spread through contact with an infected bird or its feces or nasal secretions, was first detected in Canadian farms in late 2021 and has continued to infect farms since then.

Outbreaks typically occur in the spring and fall, during bird migrations. 

The agency's latest available data shows there have been 330 infected flocks countrywide, affecting over 7 million birds as of September 28th.

Almost half of the birds culled since April 2022 were in B.C. after 104 flocks were infected.

Brittain says the association suspected avian flu was in the province because wild birds were being found dead. As well, the association was anticipating an outbreak because last year avian flu struck hard too.

She added the Chilliwack case is the first confirmed case in B.C. this fall. 

"For the rest of the farmers in the province we're on high alert, we're going to stay on high alert," she said. 

Brittain says farmers in B.C. are taking extra precautions including changing footwear and clothing before entering barns, consistently sanitizing equipment, and keeping birds indoors.