ABBOTSFORD – A control zone was imposed on more than 50 commercial poultry farms in West Abbotsford last month following the discovery of highly pathogenic avian influenza at a local turkey farm, complicating the outlook for producers already under pressure from multiple supply chain issues. “We’ve been meeting our chicken numbers so far as allocation …
Ray Nickel
73,500 birds hit by AI
The spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza to the Fraser Valley has pushed the total number of birds affected in BC to nearly 73,500 across 12 properties. The past week has seen four new outbreaks, including two commercial poultry operations in West Abbotsford and a small-lot operation near Osprey Lake, between Princeton and Summerland. Two …
Bird flu hits Enderby farm
A broiler farm in the North Okanagan has been depopulated following the positive identification of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza on April 13. Preliminary tests at a lab in Burnaby returned positive results, and samples were sent to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency lab in Winnipeg for confirmation. (BC’s own Animal Health …
Mortalities less than expected
A clearer picture is emerging of livestock losses as a result of last week’s flooding and landslides in the Lower Mainland and southern Interior. The good news is, it’s not all bad. A preliminary assessment by the BC Dairy Association this week indicates that 500 cattle perished on Sumas Prairie, a fraction of the approximately …
COVID influences food demand
COVID continues to complicate efforts to manage supply of regulated commodities in Canada. “It’s still not easy because there’s a lot of different metrics at play,” Abbotsford producer Ray Nickel told the BC Chicken Growers Association general meeting August 4, delivering the report from the Chicken Farmers of Canada. “We haven’t seen a full opening …