File photo of a bald eagle at Churchill on Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba. (Enrico Pescantini/iStock/Getty Images)

High-path bird flu reaches Manitoba airspace

H5N1 confirmed in wild birds found last week in province's west

Manitoba’s feather sectors and backyard flock owners are being reminded to take the necessary precautions now that highly pathogenic avian flu has been confirmed in wild birds found last week. The province’s natural resources department reported Wednesday that the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC) has confirmed the presence of high-path H5N1 avian flu in two

File photo of chicks on a genetic map of a chicken. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Avian flu arrives in Saskatchewan poultry

More outbreaks also confirmed in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec

Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed in a poultry flock and a non-commercial flock in separate areas of Saskatchewan. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said it confirmed high-path avian flu on Thursday in a small non-commercial flock in the RM of Moose Mountain, near Carlyle in the province’s southeast, and on Saturday in a


A refrigerator is stuck in a tree at Dawson Springs, Kentucky, about 140 km west of Bowling Green, on Dec. 13, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Jon Cherry)

U.S. tornadoes destroy chickens, tractors, silos

Chicago | Reuters — A Deere dealership and a Pilgrim’s Pride chicken hatchery were destroyed when deadly tornadoes swept through Kentucky on Friday, while silos holding millions of bushels of corn suffered damage, the companies and the state’s agriculture commissioner said on Monday. At least 64 people, including six children, lost their lives in Kentucky

Chicks atop images from a genetic map of a chicken. (Peggy Greb photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

EU’s bird flu outbreaks reach Poland

Country's outbreaks hit farms totalling 650,000 birds

Paris | Reuters — Poland has reported several outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu at poultry farms with flocks totalling nearly 650,000 birds, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) said on Monday. Poland is the European Union’s largest poultry producer. Five outbreaks, of which four were at fattening turkey farms and one at


Rejean Nadeau. (Photo courtesy Olymel)

Olymel CEO dies of ‘sudden’ cancer

Rejean Nadeau died Thursday at 71

The CEO of Canadian pork and poultry packer Olymel has died of a “sudden and virulent cancer” at age 71, his company reported Friday morning. Rejean Nadeau, the CEO of Sollio Co-operative’s meatpacking and processing arm since 1996, died Thursday at his home at Rougemont, Que., about 25 km south of St-Hyacinthe, Olymel said in



Beyond Meat brings back alt-chicken offering

Beyond Meat has brought back a chicken offering to its product portfolio with the launch of plant-based chicken tenders. The faux-meat maker looks to capitalize on booming demand for meat alternatives amid a shift towards healthy eating in the pandemic. The company is launching the product in around 400 U.S. restaurants, more than two years

(Dave Bedard photo)

Maple Leaf takes up Ontario poultry plant

Option exercised on Cericola Farms' remaining facility

A southern Ontario processing plant specializing in organic and antibiotic-free poultry products has gone to Maple Leaf Foods in a postscript to a previous sale. Toronto-based Maple Leaf announced Friday it had closed its purchase of the Sure Fresh Foods poultry plant at Schomberg, Ont., about 30 km north of Vaughan, for an undisclosed sum,


(Exceldor video screengrab via YouTube)

Strike ends at Exceldor poultry plant in Quebec

Union members vote to take six-year deal

A month-long strike at one of Quebec’s biggest poultry slaughter and processing plants is ending after unionized workers voted to accept a new agreement reached through mediation. About 500 unionized workers at Exceldor Co-operative’s plant at Saint-Anselme, about 30 km southeast of Quebec City, have been on strike since May 23. The previous contract between

(Exceldor video screengrab via YouTube)

Quebec names mediator in Exceldor poultry strike

Major chicken plant's workers off job since May 23

The Quebec government has brought in a mediator to try to restart labour talks that stalled ahead of a strike at one of the province’s biggest poultry plants. Provincial Labour Minister Jean Boulet on Friday named Helene Poulin as a special mediator on the labour dispute at the Exceldor poultry plant at Saint-Anselme, about 30