Farmers in British Columbia are now dealing with the brutal impact of the highly pathogenic avian flu. In the short time since its initial detection in Canada in 2021, they’ve had to cull upwards of 8.7 million birds in the province, and counting. Since April 2022, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has enacted restrictive measures of infection control on local flocks. They’ve been able to do this an astonishing 239 times. While only six premises currently remain infected, the toll on the poultry industry is significant, prompting concerns about future outbreaks and their potential impacts.
Six waves of outbreaks have spread across Canada since the disease was first identified. In response, nearly 14.5 million commercial and backyard birds have been depopulated across the country. Farmers have been left making millions in lost claims payments. Additionally, they’ve incurred losses in the millions after euthanizing chickens and turkeys to contain the virus’ spread. The CFIA compensates at fair market value for culled animals. Many farmers don’t believe this sufficiently alleviates the emotional and financial burdens they endure from these losses.
Ray Nickel told lawmakers to understand the desperate, panicked state of farmers during these outbreaks.
“We’ve had reoccurring events, particularly in the fall, and the amount of anxiety and stress that goes in for producers when this is going on is significant.” – Ray Nickel
That idea was echoed by Troy Bourque with, “Outbreak surveillance is at least 28 days. He pointed especially to the intense level of surveillance that happens once a case is reported. Continuing, he explained that these areas need to be disease-free for at least this time period to consider lifting restrictions.
The avian flu is a close second, having made people worry because of its global spread – never before seen at this massive level. The virus is now endemic in wildlife populations, particularly in long-distance migratory birds. It is not known if or when it could mutate into a strain that would threaten humans. Bourque underscored the acute risk from highly pathogenic avian influenza now coursing through our wildlife. Consequently, we now have no consistent or transparent precursory information regarding the presence of the virus in migratory birds.
In response to this persistent threat, the federal government has acted. They have ordered 500,000 doses of a bird flu vaccine and are putting high-risk workers including farm workers to the front of the line for vaccination. This prudent and proactive step will help prevent future outbreaks and protect animal and public health.
Unfortunately, even with those efforts, farmers in alarming numbers are re-evaluating their future in the poultry business. Nickel noted an alarming trend:
“We’ve had some (farmers) that have certainly decided to move their operations out of the valley. We’ve also had producers that accelerate their succession planning and have decided to exit.” – Ray Nickel
Previous avian flu outbreaks have had significant impact during fall migration seasons. Over the past few years, we’ve observed especially sizable outbreaks occurring during this period. “They’re both here in the spring and again in the fall when they’re migrating,” Bourque said. Over the last several years, we’ve witnessed increasing disruptive patterns of outbreaks. In B.C., it’s the fall when larger outbreaks happen, rather than the spring.
FELP board member Teresa Burns pointed out that some seasons have provided lucky breaks. As she just said, “Every autumn, we’ve had terrible outbreaks, but this past spring, we were fortunate that we had no transmissions … In contrast, the spring before that, we did have some transmissions.”
While B.C. farmers are still waking up to the immediate effects of avian flu on their farms, eyes are turned to the future. Nickel summarized this feeling of uncertainty:
“Although there’s relief that we seem to be out of it now, there’s anxiety on what is next and what the next episode is possibly going to look like in the fall.” – Ray Nickel
Bourque offered high-level assurances to consumers worried about food safety in light of these tensions. He reiterated that if poultry is handled correctly, there are no safety issues. He stated that there is no risk of contracting bird flu by consuming poultry or eggs.
That story is still unfolding as farmers respond to the new normal created by this unprecedented global health emergency. The CFIA maintains these as stringent infection protocols. These measures are vital for protecting our domestic flocks and the robust poultry export market, more than one billion dollars annually.
