A fifth poultry farm in B.C.’s Fraser Valley, this time a turkey farm near Abbotsford, is under federal quarantine with an H5 strain of avian influenza.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Saturday the Abbotsford farmer came forward after observing “higher than normal mortality rates,” and provided birds for sampling used in provincial and federal testing.
Provincial tests confirmed the birds were sickened with an H5 form of avian flu, CFIA said. Further federal tests will be run to confirm the results.
The H5 strain’s subtype and pathogenicity weren’t mentioned in Saturday’s statement.
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Two other Fraser Valley farms — another turkey farm near Abbotsford and a broiler breeder farm across the Vedder River nearer Chilliwack — have been confirmed in the past week with a highly pathogenic (“high-path”) strain of H5N2, while two other Abbotsford poultry farms have been quarantined as presumptive-positive for H5 avian flu.
“It can be anticipated that additional at-risk farms may be identified in the coming days,” the agency said.
“The fact that this farmer came forward and provided his birds for sampling shows confidence amongst the farm community that current control measures are working and all players in the system and are working co-operatively,” CFIA added in its statement.
The high-path H5N2 outbreaks have cost Canada its high-path avian flu-free status, which it’s held since 2008.
Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan were reported in the past week to have restricted imports of Canadian and/or B.C. poultry and poultry products following the confirmations at the two H5N2-infected farms. — AGCanada.com Network
