This is a “terrible time”, says veterinarian Dr. Terin Girard, who has clients in areas with avian influenza.
MOUNTAIN VIEW DISTRICT, ALBERTA – As poultry farmers continue to prepare for the outbreak of avian influenza in the province, a Red Deer veterinarian who is a member of the Alberta Emergency Bird Management Team said the situation was without precedent.
“I’m comfortable saying this is unprecedented,” Dr. Terin Girard said on April 2. “We haven’t had bird flu in Alberta before.”
A veterinarian who serves the poultry industry, many of Girard’s customers are located in identified contaminated areas, which include operations in Mountain View County, Central Alberta.
“There are two commercial farms in Mountain View County that are affected,” she said, adding that the virus was also found in a herd in the backyard near Torrington.
The Alberta Emergency Bird Management Team is working with the provincial government with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to reduce the spread of the infection in the province.
“As a veterinarian, we are trained in case this happens,” Girard said of an outbreak of bird flu.
“We were aware that this could happen this year because we saw it happening in the United States and elsewhere in Canada,” she said. “But this is still a shock. And that’s hard for the producer. This is a terrible time. “
“We were hit pretty hard in the first week”
Asked approximately where the transmission speed is – in other words, whether the curve tends up, plateau or maybe even decreases – she said the data still does not paint a clear picture.
“I don’t think we still know where we are” regarding the progression of the disease, she said. “We suffered quite badly in the first week.”
And it was not until the second week of the epidemic that she spoke to the Alberta.
“I think right now, talking about myself and the producers I work with every day, we’re just waiting to hear what’s going on,” she said.
As of April 25, cases had been found in 17 poultry flocks in the province – four in Mountain View County.
The combined efforts of the CFIA, the emergency management team, and Alberta’s poultry industry are doing everything possible not only to control but also to resolve the situation, she said.
“Alberta’s government lab is working endless hours to make sure tests are being conducted and monitored,” she said. “Everyone is working so fast to eradicate the disease as quickly as possible. It was great to work with the CFIA. “
The Agency shall determine where and when to establish a primary control zone in areas where the disease has been identified, and the affected properties in the zone shall be subject to certain restrictions, including the movement of animals.
Asked if, for example, cattle or dairy producers face restrictions, Maria Leslie, a marketing and communications specialist for chicken producers in Alberta, said: “The answer is not really for those other non-poultry products.
However, these operations are likely to enhance their biosecurity in the light of the situation. The agency will request goods other than poultry in a room where the virus has been found, for example, if a farm raises both cattle and poultry, Leslie said.
“There is no answer”
At all levels, Girard said the answer was not lacking.
“I think there is support,” she said. “It’s a really challenging time for everyone, and in the end, producers are still taking care of the birds and maintaining biosecurity and producing food.”
Regarding the estimated total value in dollars represented by the loss of entire herds that were destroyed, she said such figures were not yet available.
“The main priority now is to get rid of the disease,” she said, adding that the emergency management team would also help affected farmers make sure each time potential compensation is explored.
“Poultry farmers will be compensated under the Animal Health Act,” she said, adding that compensation would depend on variables such as the age and species of the bird.
When the affected producers can expect their operations to return to normal, something remains an open question at this point.
“As soon as they have a confirmed case, they start working with the CFIA,” she said. “As a poultry industry, we are here to ensure that we respond as quickly as possible to cases and then what needs to be done next. But really the timeline will be reduced to the CFIA for the affected producers.
No immediate effects on consumers
But at least for now, the unfolding situation is not expected to have immediate exciting effects on consumers, such as reduced shelf availability or even a complete shortage.
“At the moment there is still no problem with the supply and I do not see a problem with the supply. “Meat and egg products are still available in the right quantities,” she said. “But it depends on how many cases we have that we will have.
Sharing some farewell thoughts, Girard expressed uncertainty as to whether the general public fully understands “how difficult this is for Alberta producers and how hard they work to keep herds safe.”
That effort also includes ensuring that there is still a sufficient supply of poultry and egg products, she said.
“These farmers are usually family operations that are waking up every day nervous right now,” she said.
Meanwhile, farmers who have not been directly affected by the virus in their herd are also nervous, she said.
Laurel Wigham, who has been running a full-time turkey farm called Winter’s with her husband Lyle since 2016 and raises three herds a year in the southeast corner of Rocky View County, is one such farmer.
“This is my family farm,” Weigham said. “There are turkeys from ’56 on this farm.”
The situation is unlike anything she has ever experienced.
“As a breeder, you certainly face challenges over the years,” she said. “There have been pockets of (bird flu) in Canada over the years, but this is the first time it has been discovered in Alberta.
As of yesterday, H5N1 has been found in a flock of poultry in Rocky View County.
“Raising a healthy bird is your priority”
“This is a challenge for all poultry farmers because you take care of your animals and raising a healthy bird is your priority,” said Vaigum. “So it’s unpleasant when a disease threatens the health of your birds and your livelihood.”
Given that the disease is thought to be spread by migratory birds and that Alberta is in the midst of a migratory season, the risk of continuing the spread remains, she said.
“It is certainly possible to have more cases in the coming days and weeks because it is a highly contagious disease,” she said. “So, in addition to our already very strict biosecurity practices, farmers have taken additional measures to manage distribution and will continue to do so as long as the risk is high.”
Pressed to clarify what these additional precautions include, she said no effort was spared.
“We are going above and beyond,” she said, adding that continued efforts are being made to clean and disinfect, as well as restrict movement, with the ultimate goal of doing everything possible to mitigate the spread of the infection.
“We don’t just change shoes, we change clothes. “We don’t just wash tires, we wash trucks,” she said. “And you restrict the movement of people and equipment in and out of these barns so that the possibility of proliferation is kept to a minimum.”
Given the challenging circumstances and the logistical hurdles involved, she also said that the combined response and support of the provincial and federal governments for the industry was not enough.
“There is support,” she said. “It’s slower than you want, it’s harder than you want it to be. But there is support. “
The simple fact, she added, is that no one even knew there was a case of bird flu in the province just over two weeks ago, and by the end of last week, there were a dozen primary control areas in Alberta.
“So mobilizing crews and equipment is a challenge. But I think we are on the move now.
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