Bird flu returns

Three farms in Abbotsford and Chilliwack have been hit with highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza.

The affected farms include turkey, broiler, and egg operations. The detections occurred on October 21 and are the first in the province since December 25, 2023.

“The response is currently active and we are working with partner agencies and the impacted producers,” a memo circulated to growers on October 22 stated.

The cases occurred within a week of the poultry sector implementing red-level biosecurity protocols on October 16.

The escalation from yellow-level protocols followed a positive detection of H5N1 at an egg farm in eastern Washington, which the BC Poultry Association linked to migratory bird activity.

BC saw a significant increase in wild migratory bird populations in early October, and producers have been reporting an increase in sick birds.

The province’s chief veterinary officer had issued an order on September 17 requiring poultry to be kept indoors to mitigate the risk of exposure to the H5N1 virus. Wetlands along the Pacific flyway, including those of the Fraser River delta and inland towards the eastern Fraser Valley, are known to harbour the virus. The same areas are also home to the province’s highest concentration of poultry operations.

The first detection in fall 2023 occurred October 20 in Chilliwack, meaning the latest cases are in line with the historical advent of the fall wave.

Since 2022, more than six million birds in BC have died as a result of avian influenza.

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