Alberta poultry farmers are preparing for new outbreaks of a highly transmitted and deadly variant of bird flu that has already affected herds in the countryside.
The highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu strain, which is spreading rapidly in Canada, has been found in 18 poultry farms in Alberta since the province’s first case was confirmed in Mountain View County on April 6.
The cases were found in two small herds and 16 trade flocks in Alberta, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said Tuesday.
As of April 21, 12 herds in Alberta had active outbreaks, representing approximately 340,000 infected birds – the most in each province.
“Incredibly stressful”
As cases continue to multiply, poultry farmers are preparing for losses and doing what they can to keep the infection out of their barns.
“This is an incredibly stressful time,” said David Heink, a poultry farm that runs broiler chickens near Lacombe, Alta, 125 kilometers south of Edmonton.
“We are very vigilant.”
Heink inspects his four barns every day for signs of disease among his 135,000 chickens.
Most forms of bird flu are mild, but the H5N1 strain can cause serious illness and death in wild and domestic birds.
The disease is not considered a significant concern for humans, but infections can destroy a herd in a matter of days.
In the absence of treatment, the entire herd must be destroyed to ensure control of the infection.
“This is a very dangerous disease for birds,” said Heink, who is also chairman of Alberta Chicken Producers, the organization that regulates the production of broiler chickens in the province.
“Once in the herd, it will spread quickly. It will cause high mortality in barns.
“In some cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of birds will have to be destroyed.”
The CFIA says 2022 was unprecedented for the spread of bird flu around the world.
Migratory birds are thought to be responsible for a series of outbreaks in Canada. As wild birds continue to fly north during the summer, more cases are expected.
Outbreaks have also been reported in poultry farms in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.
No human cases have been reported in North America.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Investigates Outbreaks of Avian Influenza in Dozens of Poultry Farms Across Canada (Submitted by David Heink)
The CFIA has found no evidence of farm-to-farm transmission, but more research is needed, said Jeff Nottenbomer, who owns Willow Creek Poultry, a broiler farm in Monarch, Alta, near Lethbridge.
He is also chairman of Alberta Hatching Egg Producers, which regulates broiler hatching production in the province.
Nottenbomer said he hoped the biosecurity protocols and the distance between most farms in Alberta would provide a safety net against infection.
“We see it spreading much faster than we expected,” he said. “It simply came to our notice then. How is it spread? How do you jump from barn to barn?
Nottenbomer compares the jump in bird flu cases to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the cases increase, the protocols are strictly enforced and the source of transmission is unclear.
“I think we should see two weeks without a positive [case] before I take a deep breath. ”
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says migrating wild birds are likely responsible for the spread of the flu. (Lindsay Bowman / The Hutchinson News via Associated Press)
Operators are entitled to compensation for destroyed birds on the basis of market value. But the formula does not take into account the stay farmers face after an outbreak, Nottenbomer said.
Nottenbomer’s farm has about 25,000 chickens and produces about 3.5 million fertilized eggs each year.
Hatcheries like his will take up to two years to reach full production again, he said.
The outbreaks have led to supply chain problems, import restrictions and rising prices elsewhere, but it is unclear whether the current outbreaks will affect Canadian consumers.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada says many factors are inflating food prices, making it difficult to find a direct link between the virus and the cost of eggs and poultry.
Nottenbomer said the Canadian industry needs to be better equipped to absorb the shock of any disruption due to support provided by the country’s supply chain management system.
“When a farm collapses, everything is in place to make the necessary adjustments to continue, but the more cases there are, the harder it becomes,” he said.
“The supply is stable, but I’m nervous because it seems to be spreading.”
Avian influenza is a disease that is reported in Canada. Federal inspectors responded to outbreaks by quarantining and ordering the destruction of all birds that may have been exposed.
Terin Girard, a poultry veterinarian who works with Prairie Swine Health Services and Cargill, has worked with most farms in Alberta facing outbreaks.
Spring is the flu season for birds and the industry is prepared, but the virus is behaving differently, she said.
Farmers are on the brink and wonder who could be hit next.
This virus does not read the textbook. – Terin Girard
“There are many more reports of dead migratory birds,” she said. “It just showed us that this virus doesn’t read the textbook.”
Nicole Thyssen, owner of Button Quail and Poultry in Rochfort Bridge, Alta., Sold most of her birds last month.
She had more than 3,000 quails and 80 laying hens, but now has only 20 birds.
“We had a large number of crows that visited our farm during the winter and we watched them decrease,” Thyssen said. That was the first, huge alarm.
Thyssen said she was relieved to have reduced her size before the epidemic began.
“I don’t think you can sell a bird to save your life right now.”
Poultry farmers are trying to prevent the spread of bird flu
Canadian poultry farmers are trying to prevent the further spread of bird flu, which has already caused the loss of half a million birds this year, something that could further increase the price of chicken and turkey. 1:47
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