New cases of bird flu in Western Canada

The CFIA confirmed three cases in B.C. on Oct. 21

Canada has its first confirmed cases of bird flu in months.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed three new cases of bird flu in commercial operations in Abbotsford and Chilliwack on Oct. 21.

Turkey, broiler, and egg operations are affected. And producers received a memo on Oct. 22 indicating the response is “currently active,” Country Life in BC reported.

These are the first cases in B.C. since December 2023 and the first in the country since April 2024 when the CFIA confirmed bird flu in a non-commercial, non-poultry operation in Quebec.

As of Oct. 4, these new premises in B.C. are the only ones infected in Canada, the CFIA data says. In total, Canada has had 12 cases of bird flu in 2024.

422 premises were previously infected, and more than 11 million birds in Canada have been impacted by bird flu.

Earlier in the month on Oct. 2, the CFIA revoked the last remaining primary control zone associated with bird flu.

The affected premises is in Meadow Lake, Sask., which the CFIA confirmed with bird flu in a backyard poultry flock on Nov. 15, 2023.

“The process leading to revoking a primary control zone (PCZ) begins when the last infected premises in a PCZ has completed primary decontamination,” the CFIA’s website says. “Certain steps are tied to the size of the premises and the type of action required.”