A total of 124,000 turkeys were “humanely depopulated and disposed of” by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency following four recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in North Perth, agency officials confirmed this week. These outbreaks, which were detected by the CFIA in the last half of December, bring the total number of current outbreaks in Ontario to nine after the agency in November declared five outbreaks in Strathroy-Caradoc that led to 33,000 birds – also all turkeys – being culled. The current strain of HPAI (H5) has been causing outbreaks across Canada for more than four years after first being detected in December 2021.
Since that time, there have been 586 outbreaks across Canada, impacting more than 17.2-million birds. In Ontario alone, there have been 62 outbreaks in Ontario, impacting more than 1.3-million birds. “The continued detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in both wild and domestic birds in Canada is a strong reminder for anyone raising birds and/or providing services to poultry productions to remain vigilant of HPAI and ensure they have effective biosecurity measures in place,” CFIA officials said in an email to the Beacon.
If someone suspects their birds have HPAI, they are required to report it to the CFIA. According to CFIA officials, there are several warning signs to look for, including loss of appetite, weight loss, abnormal behaviour and unexplained deaths. Currently, there are 50 active outbreaks across the county.
British Columbia leads the way with 254 outbreaks, impacting more than 10-million birds. That province also has the highest number of active outbreaks with 22. However, the CFIA did note that “there is no evidence to suggest that eating cooked poultry or eggs could transmit the virus to humans.” According to the CFIA, there are a number of ways that HPAI can spread, including: The CFIA also notes that small flocks are at risk of catching the disease, particularly if they have access to the outdoors and ponds or bodies of water known to be used by wild birds.
CFIA officials offered several tips for protecting small flock owners, including: keeping wild birds and animals away, cleaning regularly and thoroughly, spotting the signs and reporting early, limiting visitors, and keeping new birds separate from the flock for at least 30 days while watching for signs of the disease in the new birds.
