Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 12/8/14


The expanding avian influenza outbreak in British Columbia has prompted seven countries – including the United States – to temporarily suspend the import of poultry products from either the province or from all of Canada even as the culling of birds continues.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced that more than 140,000 chickens and turkeys have been killed so far as the outbreak of high-pathogen strain of H5N2 bird flu has spread to five poultry farms in the past week. All of the affected facilities have been placed under quarantine with as many as 90 additional poultry farms within about two miles from the affected farms in Fraser Valley are inspected.

The nations banning poultry from Canada so far include: China, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States.

CFIA officials also reported that no human cases have been reported so far. An earlier outbreak in Fraser Valley prompted the slaughter of 17 million chickens, turkeys and other domesticated birds in 2004. The agency added that this is the first instance of H2N5 on Canadian soil in a high-pathogenic form.

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