Thinking about a turkey with your Christmas dinner? It may be more difficult to find this year as the avian flu infects birds in B.C. and across the country.
Seven farms in Abbotsford and Chilliwack have been quarantined in the past week due to the disease, according to Ray Nickel of B.C. Poultry Industry Emergency Operations. He said it’s suspected at another farm, though the test results are not back yet.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says a total of 20 farms in B.C. are currently infected. They are mostly in the Lower Mainland, but also on Vancouver Island and in the Interior.
Nickel said birds are being destroyed at the farms under quarantine, and surveillance has been set up around the sites.
Among those farms where the disease has hit are B.C. hatching egg production and turkey farms.
“Right now, every province has been dealing with the (avian influenza) impact,” said Nickel.
“Turkeys are seemingly more susceptible to avian influenza than some of the other bird species, so they’ve been hit the hardest, so there are some supply issues,” he explained.
B.C.’s agriculture minister said it’s a tough situation, and that the outbreaks on commercial farms are concerning.
“This year’s been a lot more difficult. We haven’t seen the disease pressure get alleviated as we normally would,” said Lana Popham.
The minister said the province has taken a proactive stance, with rules such as requiring commercial growers to keep their flocks indoors.
“I feel confident that we’re going to get on top of this, but currently there is a lot of pressure,” Popham said.
Farmers are feeling that pressure.
“It’s always your fear that something’s going to happen to your flock, and so we’ve been on pins and needles for months already,” said Nickel, who runs his own poultry farm.
About 276,000 birds have been culled in B.C. since the beginning of the outbreak in April, but that number is expected to rise.
“While the recent cases of avian influenza are a challenging situation for the B.C. poultry industry, avian influenza is not a food safety concern,” said the CFIA, in a statement.
“There is no evidence to suggest that poultry meat or eggs could transmit the avian influenza virus to humans. Poultry products from locations under investigation are not permitted to enter the food chain,” the statement reads.
