Avian flu cases soar in B.C. farms

British Columbia poultry farmers are on high alert as dozens of avian flu infections have raced through farms.

Shawn Hall with the B.C. Poultry Association says the industry has raised its biosecurity level to red, the highest level, as infections increase this fall.

Hall says some of the safety measures include requiring both farmers and visitors to wear personal protection gear, and only those with essential appointments are allowed to visit.

Fraser Valley egg farmer Mark Siemens says he was devastated to have to cull his flock of 45,000 chickens a few weeks ago, and it’s been an overwhelming task to get everything sanitized and to start again on a flock that took years to build.

Infections flared as wild birds migrated this fall, which is believed to be the main source of infection, and since April 2022, almost seven million birds have been culled in the province because of the flu.

Langley farmer Derek Janzen had to put down his flock of 226,000 birds two years ago and says he’s very concerned the flu is moving “like wildfire.”

He says he and his workers all wear personal-protective coveralls, boots, gloves, and proper N95-type masks.

A teenager tested positive for avian flu this month and was very sick in hospital, although health officials say they found no connection to the teen’s illness and a poultry farm.