International trade bans imposed on N.L. and N.S. poultry after avian flu kills thousands of birds

The European Union and nine countries, including the U.S., have put trade restrictions on some poultry products from two Atlantic Canadian provinces after a deadly strain of avian flu was identified at a Nova Scotia turkey farm.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says on Feb. 3 it confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza, subtype H5N1, in a commercial flock in western Nova Scotia.

About 12,000 turkeys on the farm died because of the virus. About half died after becoming infected with bird flu and the rest were culled to prevent its spread.

On Feb. 4, CFIA notified the World Organisation for Animal Health that it had discovered a bird flu outbreak in a commercial poultry flock in Nova Scotia. Canada's animal health status then changed to "Not Free" from the disease, prompting several countries to place trade restriction on some Canadian poultry products.

It's the largest outbreak of  H5N1 in a commercial flock in North America since an outbreak in western Canada in 2014. That outbreak resulted in the deaths of millions of commercially raised birds in both the U.S. and Canada.

On Feb. 1, the CFIA also confirmed the presence of H5N1 in a backyard flock in eastern Nova Scotia. The agency said the backyard flock does not produce birds for sale and is considered a non-poultry detection.

The following are the international trade restrictions imposed in early February:

• European Union: live birds, hatching eggs, animal products for pet food manufacturing, raw pet food, and edible poultry meat and poultry products including eggs and processed egg products originating from the control zone in Nova Scotia until further notice. There are no restrictions on thermally processed pet food (dry or canned) originating from the control zone in Nova Scotia.
• United States: live birds, raw pet food, and edible poultry meat and poultry products such as eggs originating from the control zone in Nova Scotia, except the products for human consumption that were cooked to reach a minimum internal temperature of 70 C until further notice.
• Russian Federation: live poultry and poultry products from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.
• Hong Kong: restrictions only to products from western Nova Scotia.
• South Africa: all heat-treated products from Canada are allowed entry into South Africa. However, only poultry products that were packaged before Jan. 17 will be allowed entry.
• South Korea: live poultry, poultry meat and edible eggs originating from Canada.
• Philippines: live poultry, poultry meat and edible eggs originating from Canada.
• Mexico: live poultry and poultry products from Nova Scotia.
• Japan: live poultry, hatching eggs, poultry meat and meat products originating from Nova Scotia.
• Taiwan: restrictions only to Nova Scotia.

Newfoundland and Labrador's Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture says Newfoundland and Labrador does not export poultry products to any of the countries on the list.

"The department does not anticipate any impact resulting from these restrictions," it wrote CBC News in an email.

Same deadly bird flu strain identified earlier in Newfoundland

The same H5N1 avian flu strain was also found in Newfoundland in late 2021.

In mid-December, CFIA reported the H5N1 bird flu strain killed more than 400 birds on an exhibition farm in St. John's.

More than 350 birds died there and another 60 birds, including geese, peacocks, guinea fowl and an emu, were euthanized in an effort to contain the virus.

The agency also reported that birds at a backyard farming operation died or were culled in January after H5N1 was identified at the facility on Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula.

Both locations had ponds where farm birds could mingle with wild birds, and both owners had chickens that died suddenly.

The CFIA suspects the source of infections at the two Avalon Peninsula locations are wild, aquatic, long-range migratory birds.

The agency drew out a 10-kilometre control zone around both facilities, putting them under quarantine, and says it continues to monitor wild and domestic birds in the region through surveillance and sampling. Federal officials say they are also contacting farms and people with birds in the area to ask if any birds are showing signs of the disease.

But because neither of the Newfoundland outbreaks were on commercial farms that sold birds, Canada's "free of avian influenza" status remained in place.

Wild birds tested positive

Federal officials said the strain at the two locations has also been identified in wild birds in Newfoundland.

Wild bird surveillance done by Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative found two birds with the same virus.

On Wednesday, Environment and Climate Change Canada emailed CBC News an update reporting that so far, seven dovekie carcasses collected in Newfoundland and Labrador have tested negative for avian influenza. 

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