Update, as of November 28: At least 28 commercial farm flocks have now tested posted for avian influenza in the Fraser Valley area of BC between November 16 and November 27, including five new cases on November 27. The number of cases of avian influenza (AI) in B.C. has risen rapidly over the past week… Read More
Category: Poultry
Update, as of Nov. 9: Maple Leaf Foods says it is implementing workarounds to maintain operations at its plants while a team of cybersecurity experts continues to work on resolving the “comprehensive” outage caused by a cyberattack. CEO Michael McCain told investors in a quarterly earnings call on Nov. 8 that all the company’s plants… Read More
The highly-pathogenic avian influenza (AI) virus that has swept North America in 2022 will likely remain a threat in 2023, but there have been some lessons learned in the past seven months by producers, veterinarians, and poultry industry stakeholders when it comes to responding to the often-devastating disease. As of October 17, the Canadian Food… Read More
The highly-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in domestic poultry escalated late last week, as Ontario’s chief vet announced the suspension of any activities where domestic birds would co-mingle and a prime poultry processing area of Manitoba was placed in a quarantine zone. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) updates infected premises and birds impacted each… Read More
A new wave of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) coinciding with the fall migratory season is sweeping across western and central Canada, with confirmed cases of the deadly virus on poultry farms from B.C. to Ontario over the past week. As it was in spring, Alberta remains the hardest hit province. The Canadian Food Inspection… Read More
Organizers of the National Poultry Show at London, Ontario have decided to permanently move the event to an earlier time of year to avoid coinciding with the spring wild bird migration season. The Canadian poultry industry event, which dates back to 1957, has historically taken place in early April. However, it has been cancelled each… Read More
Two poultry farms in Alberta have tested positive for highly-pathogenic avian influenza (AI) over the past week, possibly signalling the start of an anticipated resurgence of the virus this fall. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency reported a case on a commercial farm in Sturgeon County, Alberta on Wednesday, which followed a confirmed case in a… Read More
The recent collaboration between organizations, producers, and consumers to stop the intended front of package (FOP) labelling of ground meat proved just how effective organized lobbying can be. Reg Schellenberg, president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA), says it has been smiles across the board after the federal government announced that ground meat, including beef,… Read More
A private member’s bill aimed at reducing the risks of biosecurity breaches and trespassing on farms was re-introduced in the House of Commons on May 30. Bill C-275 was brought forward by Foothills MP and Conservative shadow minister for agriculture, John Barlow. Like Barlow’s previous Bill C-205, the new bill would amend the Health of… Read More
The international organization that tracks global animal disease outbreaks and works to improve animal health has rebranded itself with an acronym that aligns with its full name in English. The World Organisation for Animal Health has been commonly known as the OIE dating back to its founding in 1924 as the Office International des Épizooties. As… Read More
Organizers of the National Poultry Show (NPS) in London, Ontario, have decided to cancel the 2022 event due to the ongoing highly-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak. The Poultry Industry Council and Western Fair Association say there are no plans for a further postponement of the major Canadian poultry show that was to be held June… Read More
The number of domestic poultry that have died due to highly pathogenic avian influenza in Canada is approaching the two million mark. As of May 12, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says an estimated 1.82 million birds on farms have either died from the deadly H5N1 virus or been euthanized as part of an… Read More
Canada has once again been approved to export not only live cattle, but also beef products, to Brazil, who shut the doors on Canadian beef exports after Canada confirmed a case of BSE in 2003. Based on Canada’s BSE controlled risk status, live cattle have been approved for export to Brazil since July 2018, however,… Read More
The number of Canadian farms – and provinces – where birds are testing positive for highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza continues to climb. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed Manitoba’s first case on a poultry farm on April 23. The farm is located near Elma, in the Rural Municipality of Whitemouth, on the eastern side of… Read More
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed the first three cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry in Western Canada. The CFIA says two commercial flocks in Mountain View County and one in Ponoka County tested positive on April 6 for the H5N1 subtype that has been spreading across North America since first… Read More