'A lot of uncertainty': B.C. has highest number of avian flu outbreaks in Canada
Fourteen months after Dave Martens’ chicken barns on Abbotsford's Sumas Prairie were flooded, the repairs are almost complete and he finally has birds again.
“So far, our birds are healthy and doing well,” he said.
And he hopes it stays that way.
Dozens of other poultry farmers in B.C. continue to face difficulties after their flocks were hit by avian flu.
“Definitely our thoughts are with a lot of producers that are struggling right now,” said Martens.
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 70 farms in B.C. are currently infected, impacting more than 3.6 million birds.
By comparison, the next highest numbers in Canada are found in Alberta, where 14 farms and 1.4 million birds are affected. Ontario has 10 premises infected.
“This is very stressful because there’s a lot of uncertainty,” said Ray Nickel of the BC Poultry Industry Emergency Operations Centre.
But he says things have improved somewhat.
“We’re really working in the clean up stage, trying to get the farms back into production that were affected,” he said. “It’s been a real struggle. Middle of November into Christmas, we were seemingly getting new cases every day ... That has definitely been correcting itself.”
During that time period, B.C.’s agriculture minister said it was tough for workers to keep up with the demands for depopulating infected farms.
“There were issues with not being able to attend to all the farms in a timely fashion,” said Pam Alexis, B.C.’s Minister of Agriculture and Food, noting that it is a federal responsibility.
“We actually got on the phone and worked with the federal government to bring in teams to help with the depopulation so we could do it in a timely fashion. So that was one of the biggest hurdles that we faced,” said Alexis.
“Everybody is doing their best to try and prevent a further outbreak,” she said, adding that there have been eight new farms with outbreaks this month.
Nationally and internationally, producers are looking for solutions to a problem that Nickel said has become endemic.
“Our bird populations are carrying the virus and it’s something that we’re going to have to strategize around not only in B.C. and here in Canada, but in other parts of North America,” he said.
Vaccinating birds could be part of a potential solution.
“Vaccination, for one thing, is something being seriously looked at and considered and there’s ways that is being implemented,” said Nickel.
“It’s also complicated because it has to be done together with our trading partners and other countries,” he added, emphasizing that avian flu is “an animal health issue, not a human health issue.”
Meanwhile, farmers like Martens are working to keep their flocks disease free.
“It’s stressful, obviously. It’s how we make our income. It's how we make our livelihood,” he said. “We’re doing everything we can and we’re practising good biosecurity and we don’t let anyone in our barns.”
Only this month, Martens finished most of the required rebuilding and repairs from the flooding disaster of 2021. He lost 40,000 birds in the floods.
He hopes avian flu stays away from his farm and he can avoid further losses.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.