By The Canadian Press

Spread of avian influenza slow in BC

Apr 7, 2025 | 12:04 PM

British Columbia poultry farmers are getting a break from devastating waves of avian flu but experts worry what the next migration of wild birds will bring.

Troy Bourque with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said there have been six waves of H5N1 flu since the first detection in Canada in 2021, and all coincided with spring and fall migrations.

Bourque said migrations in the fall have historically hit B.C.’s Fraser Valley region hardest, but it’s too soon to say how this year’s spring migration will impact poultry flocks.

More than eight-point-seven million poultry have been culled in B.C. since April 2022, with avian flu infection protocols imposed on 239 flocks.

But the food inspection agency says only six premises are currently infected.

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Poultry farmer Ray Nickel said some farmers have left the Fraser Valley or exited the industry as a result of the previous outbreaks.

While the food inspection agency paid market price for culled birds, farms bear the cost of cleaning, disinfection and lost production, and Nickel said that’s made the past few years emotionally and often financially taxing.

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The Canadian Press