Avian flu found at a commercial farm in Abbotsford

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says it has detected the presence of Avian influenza at a commercial poultry farm in Abbotsford.

It is now the 51st B.C. location where the contagious viral infection has been detected at commercial or backyard bird operations since October.

Commonly known as bird flu, avian influenza can affect several species of food-producing birds as well as pet birds and wild birds.

The CFIA’s national tally says more than five-and-a-half million birds have been culled in B.C. since the first case in the province in April 2022.

No birds can be transported within a restricted zone so all of them must be put down to prevent the virus from spreading, the agency says.

Amanda Brittain, chief information officer with the BC Poultry Association, has previously said the industry is on level “red” — the highest of three levels — in its biosecurity program as farmers fight to fend off the outbreaks, which have been triggered by migrating wild birds.

With files from Emma Crawford