There are 10 premises infected with H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in B.C. and one in Saskatchewan. The nation estimates 11,099,000 birds are affected, according to the latest data from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. All B.C. cases are in Chilliwack and Abbotsford.

“I think there’s definitely worry and apprehension in the industry, because in the last two years in a row – and this is the third year – the growers have seen HPAI cases around this time,” said Natalie Veles, executive director of British Columbia Turkey.

Why it matters: Avian flu poses a serious risk to Canada’s poultry supply, and migratory birds that land in the Fraser Valley make B.C. farms particularly vulnerable.

Culprits for the new cases are migratory birds, Veles said. Dr. Theresa Burns, B.C.’s chief veterinary officer, agreed. Waterfowl carry avian influenza viruses north to south and they love to rest in standing water in the Fraser Valley, especially during wet years.

“We get large numbers of waterfowl in the Fraser Valley specifically, and they’re shedding the avian influenza virus into the environment,” Burns said.

This particular strain has been infecting farms in the area for three years. Industry groups and the provincial and federal governments have helped producers prepare for and reduce the risk of avian influenza.

“We’ve seen our poultry industry really step up,” Burns said.

Different orders are in place for infected premises under the Animal Health Act. British Columbia Turkey and other poultry groups in the province are working with the CFIA to ensure infected premises are quarantined and quickly managed.

“We’re also sharing a lot of good information as we go through the outbreak,” Veles said. “The industry is handling it the best we can.”

When HPAI is confirmed in poultry through lab testing, the CFIA designates the affected area as an infected premises and places it under quarantine. It may also establish a primary control zone around an infected premises.

Movement of poultry, related products and equipment is restricted within this 10-kilometre radius. Locations of active primary control zones can be viewed on CFIA’s website.

If a flock is located within an active primary control zone, producers must obtain a permit to transport birds, their products or byproducts. Permits apply to both small and commercial flocks.

“We’ve regulated poultry types – broilers, breeders, layers, turkeys, and also on the non-regulated side, with ducks,” Veles said. “And those are the things that we are really trying to work with the CFIA to understand.”

On poultry farms, biosecurity measures include ensuring birds come only from reputable sources and that any sick birds are promptly isolated from the main flock. Introducing new birds should be done sparingly, and newcomers, as well as those returning from exhibitions, should be isolated before integration. Implementing an all-in, all-out movement for flock management is advisable where feasible, the sector has been told.

Good biosecurity protocols require regular cleaning and disinfection of poultry houses, equipment, clothing and footwear used by handlers. A specific area should be designated for cleaning vehicles and equipment. Dead birds and damaged eggs should be promptly disposed of, and plastic crates should be used for bird transport, protocols indicate.

Such protocols also require restricted access for visitors, and measures to prevent other birds, rodents, pets or wildlife from interacting with the flock. Accurate records of people, animals and equipment moving on and off the premises should be kept.

Veles said she hopes that, in working with producers, the CFIA and other groups, they may discover other risk factors that will allow better control of future outbreaks.

“We need to know what those risk factors are to be able to respond better,” she said.

The CFIA is working with the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food and industry groups to respond to current infections, a spokesperson for the CFIA wrote in an Oct. 30 email.

Around 145,000 birds have been affected by HPIA at the six premises in B.C. All have been humanely killed and disposed of, the CFIA said. Manure, feathers and other material that could spread the disease are disposed of as well, and all premises go through cleaning and disinfection overseen by the CFIA.

“The continued detections of HPAI in both wild and domestic birds in Canada is a strong reminder for anyone raising birds to remain vigilant of HPAI and ensure they have effective biosecurity measures in place,” the spokesperson wrote.

If this year follows the same pattern as the previous two, Burns is hopeful that cases of HPIA will drop off in December.

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There are 10 premises infected with H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in B.C. and one in Saskatchewan. The nation estimates 11,099,000 birds are affected, according to the latest data from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. All B.C. cases are in Chilliwack and Abbotsford.

“I think there’s definitely worry and apprehension in the industry, because in the last two years in a row – and this is the third year – the growers have seen HPAI cases around this time,” said Natalie Veles, executive director of British Columbia Turkey.

Why it matters: Avian flu poses a serious risk to Canada’s poultry supply, and migratory birds that land in the Fraser Valley make B.C. farms particularly vulnerable.

Culprits for the new cases are migratory birds, Veles said. Dr. Theresa Burns, B.C.’s chief veterinary officer, agreed. Waterfowl carry avian influenza viruses north to south and they love to rest in standing water in the Fraser Valley, especially during wet years.

“We get large numbers of waterfowl in the Fraser Valley specifically, and they’re shedding the avian influenza virus into the environment,” Burns said.

This particular strain has been infecting farms in the area for three years. Industry groups and the provincial and federal governments have helped producers prepare for and reduce the risk of avian influenza.

“We’ve seen our poultry industry really step up,” Burns said.

Different orders are in place for infected premises under the Animal Health Act. British Columbia Turkey and other poultry groups in the province are working with the CFIA to ensure infected premises are quarantined and quickly managed.

“We’re also sharing a lot of good information as we go through the outbreak,” Veles said. “The industry is handling it the best we can.”

When HPAI is confirmed in poultry through lab testing, the CFIA designates the affected area as an infected premises and places it under quarantine. It may also establish a primary control zone around an infected premises.

Movement of poultry, related products and equipment is restricted within this 10-kilometre radius. Locations of active primary control zones can be viewed on CFIA’s website.

If a flock is located within an active primary control zone, producers must obtain a permit to transport birds, their products or byproducts. Permits apply to both small and commercial flocks.

“We’ve regulated poultry types – broilers, breeders, layers, turkeys, and also on the non-regulated side, with ducks,” Veles said. “And those are the things that we are really trying to work with the CFIA to understand.”

On poultry farms, biosecurity measures include ensuring birds come only from reputable sources and that any sick birds are promptly isolated from the main flock. Introducing new birds should be done sparingly, and newcomers, as well as those returning from exhibitions, should be isolated before integration. Implementing an all-in, all-out movement for flock management is advisable where feasible, the sector has been told.

Good biosecurity protocols require regular cleaning and disinfection of poultry houses, equipment, clothing and footwear used by handlers. A specific area should be designated for cleaning vehicles and equipment. Dead birds and damaged eggs should be promptly disposed of, and plastic crates should be used for bird transport, protocols indicate.

Such protocols also require restricted access for visitors, and measures to prevent other birds, rodents, pets or wildlife from interacting with the flock. Accurate records of people, animals and equipment moving on and off the premises should be kept.

Veles said she hopes that, in working with producers, the CFIA and other groups, they may discover other risk factors that will allow better control of future outbreaks.

“We need to know what those risk factors are to be able to respond better,” she said.

The CFIA is working with the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food and industry groups to respond to current infections, a spokesperson for the CFIA wrote in an Oct. 30 email.

Around 145,000 birds have been affected by HPIA at the six premises in B.C. All have been humanely killed and disposed of, the CFIA said. Manure, feathers and other material that could spread the disease are disposed of as well, and all premises go through cleaning and disinfection overseen by the CFIA.

“The continued detections of HPAI in both wild and domestic birds in Canada is a strong reminder for anyone raising birds to remain vigilant of HPAI and ensure they have effective biosecurity measures in place,” the spokesperson wrote.

If this year follows the same pattern as the previous two, Burns is hopeful that cases of HPAI will drop off in December.

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The Arkansas-based meatpacker reported second-quarter sales that fell short of analysts’ estimates, though profits surpassed expectations.

Third-quarter results could be weaker than the fourth quarter due to performance in Tyson’s pork and prepared foods divisions, CEO Donnie King said on a conference call. Shares fell 7.9 per cent after tumbling earlier by more than nine per cent.

“Historically, FQ3 is typically the strongest from a seasonal perspective,” said Arun Sundaram, analyst with CFRA Research.”The outlook was viewed as a disappointment.”

High commodity costs could weigh on third-quarter results in prepared foods, said Melanie Boulden, the unit’s president. She added that inflation is pressuring consumers, particularly those from lower-income households, at retail stores and food-service outlets.

“Uncertainties remain around consumer strength and behaviour,” Chief Financial Officer John R. Tyson said.

He later sought to calm investor concerns over the third quarter outlook as shares sank, saying executives “don’t want anyone to over-read into that.”

Tyson has shuttered six U.S. chicken plants since the start of 2023, eliminated corporate employees and announced plans to close a pork plant, in an attempt to boost results and rein in costs.

Improvement in the chicken business on Monday prompted Tyson to lift its estimate for total adjusted operating income in fiscal year 2024 to $1.4 billion to $1.8 billion from $1 billion to $1.5 billion.

The increased forecast and quarterly earnings were not overly surprising, Citi Research analyst Thomas Palmer said.

Adjusted second-quarter earnings were 62 cents per share, above analysts’ expectations for 39 cents, based on LSEG data.

Tyson has worked to turn around its chicken business for years but struggled with excess supply in 2023. Adjusted operating margins were 3.9 per cent in the latest quarter, compared to negative 3.7 per cent a year earlier, as feed costs fell.

Tyson raised the chicken unit’s income outlook in the first such increase after the second quarter in seven years, JP Morgan said in a note.

Quarterly sales slid 8.3 per cent while volumes dropped 6.1 per cent, largely due to reduced U.S. production, according to Tyson. Producers are grappling with elevated chicken deaths and disease, King said.

“We’re not where we need to be yet in our chicken business,” he said.

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The control zone, which covered 14 square miles in the R.M. of Rhineland south of Plum Coulee, had been in place for two months.

On Nov. 8, 2023, the CFIA announced that a premise in the area had broken out with Manitoba’s first bird flu case of the year. A control zone was declared two days later.

All commercial and non-commercial poultry in the area was considered a potential virus risk under the order, including “day-old poultry and hatching eggs, eggs and other products or by-products of such captive domestic poultry, and things that have been exposed to such a bird.”

All other captive birds, like pets, were also included “if movements may result in contact with commercial or non-commercial poultry or their facilities.”

Active control zones require permits for the movement of birds and poultry products so long as the order is in effect, with the exception of meat or egg products being transported for personal use.

The case in the RM of Rhineland was one of only two positive HPAI cases found in Manitoba in 2023. On Nov. 24, it was also found on a site in the RM of West St. Paul. As a non-commercial poultry operation, that case did not spark a control zone.

Other provinces have been more impacted by HPAI, although cases have greatly slowed from levels seen in 2022. As of Jan. 9, HPAI had affected almost 11 million domestic birds in Canada since serious outbreaks began to be reported in late 2021. A total 57 sites were actively infected nationwide at that time.

Most recently, barns have been found with the disease in B.C., Alberta and Quebec since the start of December 2023.

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The ban, which aims to protect the health of the Philippines’ poultry population, covers imports of domesticated and wild birds, including poultry meat and eggs, the ministry said in a statement.

All shipments coming from California and Ohio that are already in transit, loaded, or accepted at Philippine ports before Jan. 15 will be allowed entry if they were slaughtered two weeks before the outbreak began, it added.

In 2023, the Philippines imported 166,356 tonnes of poultry products worth $175.8 million from the United States, which is the second-largest supplier to the Southeast Asian nation accounting for 40% of arrivals, government data showed.

Earlier this month, the Philippines halted imports of poultry products from Belgium and France, also because of a bird flu outbreak.

Bird flu is carried by migrating wild birds and can then be transmitted between farms. It has ravaged flocks around the world in recent years, disrupting supply and pushing up food prices.

–Reporting for Reuters by Neil Jerome Morales.

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The province has warned producers about a rash of wild birds in the area that have died due to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

Why it matters: As of Dec. 12, HPAI had claimed over 10.9 million domestic birds in Canada since late 2021.

In a Dec. 4 Growing Manitoba Ag newsletter, the province said that a “large number of mortalities” from HPAI had been reported in late November within Portage la Prairie’s Canada goose population.

Not every mortality was tested, the province later said via email. Of the 30 noted dead birds, eight were sampled. All came back positive for HPAI.

The Dec. 4 notice was targeted to small flock producers, since they are not registered under the same traceability programs as commercial operations, the province said. Commercial producers in the area were identified through Manitoba’s traceability program and warned through their individual producer groups.

Biosecurity

Producers should take measures such as moving their birds indoors, the Dec. 4 notice urged. Other promoted biosecurity measures include separate footwear and clothes for anyone entering poultry housing. Feed should be protected from contact with wild birds and traffic between poultry barns and onto yards should be limited where possible.

Producers have further been discouraged from getting new birds from other farms, shows, auctions or online sales. The province is recommending that new birds come only from commercial hatcheries.

Another suggestion urges producers to keep any geese or ducks (even domestic geese or ducks) away from chickens and turkeys.

The same notice pushed producers toward the province’s small flock screening program, which provides free diagnostic testing or post-mortem examinations for operations with fewer than 1,000 birds. The program is administered through local veterinarians.

“Any high mortality or large egg production drop in flocks over two weeks of age is a good reason to send in birds,” the program’s website states.

For younger birds, producers should consider a sample if five or more birds out of 100 have been lost.

The province has not received any samples through the program from the Portage la Prairie region, a spokesperson said. Nor has the Canadian Food Inspection Agency received any calls about sick domestic birds from the area.

AI count

Outside the Portage la Prairie cluster, the province has found eight wild HPAI cases in southern Manitoba this fall. None of those showed an obvious geographic trend, although an emailed response to the Co-operator noted that most samples come from Winnipeg or other heavily populated areas.

As of Dec. 13, Manitoba had seen only two domestic HPAI cases in 2023. A commercial farm in the RM of Rhineland broke on Nov. 8. Another, non-commercial poultry site was also confirmed positive for HPAI on Nov. 24 in the RM of West St. Paul.

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In a survey of more than 1,000 Canadians, 72 per cent of respondents said Canada’s code of practice should ban caged confinement of laying hens.

The survey, released this summer, comes from Bryant Research, a U.K. firm that “uses social science research to help accelerate the protein transition from conventional meat to alternative proteins,” its website says.

The firm spoke with consumers representing regions across Canada, 97 per cent of whom said they ate eggs. After showing them photos and descriptions of various laying hen housing systems, it asked if they found them acceptable.

Eighty per cent said conventional cages were unacceptable, and 75 per cent said enriched or colony cages were unacceptable.

VIDEO: Grand opening for Manitoba Egg Farmers’ centre

“Given the widespread support for ending cage confinement, many Canadians may be shocked to learn that most major grocery stores still source the majority of their eggs from cage systems,” said animal advocacy group Mercy for Animals in a news release regarding the poll.

“Deadlines for many companies to meet public promises to be 100 per cent cage-free are only two years away,” the group added.

Many large Canadian retailers and restaurant chains have pledged to switch to cage-free eggs. In 2015, McDonalds Canada announced it would phase out eggs from caged birds by 2025. In 2016, several major grocers such as Loblaw, Sobeys and Walmart Canada promised to do the same.

However, some of those companies — while not walking back their commitment — have acknowledged it won’t be possible as soon as promised.

“We’ve learned that the supply chain needs more time to adapt and change,” Sobeys said in its 2022 animal welfare statement.

In its 2022 environmental social governance report, Loblaw said it had made progress toward the goal.

“However, in 2021 it became evident that our farmer partners would not be able to meet the 2025 timeline,” it said. “[We] reaffirmed our commitment to the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) and their efforts to generate consensus around egg systems moving forward.”

The most current guidelines from the council, which develops codes of practices for farm animal care, require conventional battery cages to be phased out by 2036 in favour of enriched or colony housing — larger cages with amenities like perches and nesting boxes.

Industry data shows the percentage of laying hens housed in conventional cages has been in steady decline, falling to 51 per cent in 2022 from 82 per cent in 2016. In 2022, nearly 32 per cent of hens lived in enriched colony housing.

In that time frame, demand for cage-free eggs has grown, but not to anywhere near the majority.

By 2022 the number of hens in uncaged housing like free range, free run or organic systems rose to about 17 per cent from 10 per cent in 2016.

In Manitoba, about 15 per cent of egg quota was devoted to cage-free housing systems in 2022. This was enough to cover demand for free-run, free-range and organic eggs in the province, a spokesperson for Manitoba Egg Farmers told the Co-operator.

“As the market demand for cage-free eggs increases, farmers will ensure there is enough eggs from cage-free housing systems to supply the market,” the spokesperson added.

However, Bryant’s research indicates many Canadians don’t know how their eggs are produced.

When asked “what percentage of egg-laying hens do you think are still housed in cages in Canada,” 43 said they thought half to three-quarters were housed in cages, and 33 per cent said one quarter to half of hens were housed in cages. Thirteen per cent thought zero to one quarter lived in cages.

When shown pictures of conventional cages, nearly 70 per cent of respondents said conditions were worse than expected.

Of those surveyed, 83 per cent said they were more likely to buy cage-free eggs after seeing the images in the survey. Only 63 per cent said they’d be willing to buy cage-free eggs if they cost more, while 25 per cent were unsure and 11 per cent said they would not.

California’s Proposition 12, recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, banned caged housing for laying hens as of 2022. It also banned the sale in California of eggs from hens housed in ways that do not comply with the state’s rules.

In June 2021, the European Commission said it would propose legislation in 2023 to phase out “caged farming” for most animals, Reuters reported. Battery cages are already outlawed, but as of 2019, about half of laying hens were kept in larger, “furnished” cages, Reuters added.

Animal welfare group representatives would have preferred the NFACC do the same, said Kathy Duncan, director of national programs at Humane Canada. Humane Canada representatives often take part in NFACC revisions.

However, enriched housing is an improvement over conventional housing, said Duncan. Typically, conversations around code revisions require compromises — for example, what the industry thinks it can manage in the required timeframe.

“We thought that [enriched housing] should be framed as a transitional form of housing on the way to cage-free rather than a stopping place,” Duncan added.

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However, no decision to vaccinate has yet been made, Rosemary Sifford, who is also deputy administrator of the veterinary services program at the Department of Agriculture (USDA), told Reuters at the general session of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) in Paris.

The conference has been focusing on highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly called bird flu.

The severity of the current outbreak of bird flu has led some governments to reconsider vaccinating poultry, but others such as the United States have been remain reluctant, citing trade curbs this would entail.

“Any vaccination strategy would need to be a very focused strategy… I would certainly not expect to do a widespread vaccination if we were to choose that path,” Sifford said.

“We would be looking at a very specific targeted potentially geographic- and species-oriented that maybe focus on certain turkeys in a certain area. These are the country scenarios that we have been talking through,” she added.

Regionalization and compartmentalization per farms or species are allowed under WOAH rules and often reduce the risk of having country-wide trade barriers.

Turkey meat is expected to account for about 10 per cent of total U.S. poultry production in 2023 and exports are expected to account for about seven per cent of total turkey production, USDA data showed. In contrast, exports of chicken meat are estimated at about 16 per cent.

Sifford sees “no positive impact” in vaccinating chickens since they have a short lifespan.

“For us, turkeys have been the species most affected in terms of facilities,” she said.

The National Turkey Federation, which represents U.S. farmers and processors, supports the development of a vaccine, its president said.

USDA said in November that more than 70 per cent of commercial poultry farms affected in the 2022 outbreak were turkey farms.

USDA told Reuters on Friday that it continued to research vaccine options against bird flu to “protect poultry from this persistent threat” but still considers biosecurity measures to be the most effective tool for mitigating the virus.

— Sybille de La Hamaide is a Reuters commodities correspondent in Paris; additional reporting by Tom Polansek in Chicago.

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“We’re hoping for the best but we’re preparing for another challenge like we had in the fall,” said Cory Rybuck, general manager of Manitoba Egg Farmers.

Migratory birds are considered the most common source of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) infections on farms. Clothing and equipment can become contaminated by droppings, which can then spread the disease.

“Scientific evidence indicates that HPAI circulates naturally in wild birds, and is spread through migratory birds,” a Canadian Food Inspection Agency spokesperson told the Co-operator. “Spring migration for birds has already begun and is expected to last until June.”

At time of writing, no cases of HPAI had cropped up this year in Manitoba, though 58 premises have already been infected in Canada, CFIA records showed.

Last year saw 21 confirmed cases of the disease in Manitoba, and about 287,000 birds died or were euthanized.

Manitoba’s poultry groups have been using the quiet months to prepare for possible spring infections, Rybuck said. They are working with the province, chief veterinarian’s office and each other to become more efficient.

“We learned a lot of lessons through the spring and fall of last year,” Rybuck said.

Groups developed a one-stop website with a roadmap for farmers and industry members to navigate an infection, with information on what to expect and what forms will be needed.

They’ve also learned more about how to work within a restricted or control zone, Rybuck said, like how to get timely permits for moving eggs out and moving feed in.

Control zones require a CFIA permit for anyone moving poultry or poultry products in, out or around the region.

Manitoba Chicken Producers has worked to improve processes for when a site has been declared infected, to shorten the timeline for removing that designation, said executive director Wayne Hiltz.

Chicken farms continue to practice enhanced biosecurity as migratory bird season approaches, Hiltz said.

“Producers can do everything right, and still find themselves in an unfortunate highly pathogenic avian influenza situation. Each of those situations can have ripple effects, whether that be other producers in the infected zone or restricted zone, or downstream producers if the infected site happens to be a breeder operation,” he added.

One of the sites infected last year was a breeder operation, Hiltz said. This led to several broiler producers receiving fewer chicks than expected. Two broiler farms missed a flock each due to being in infected zones, he added. This didn’t affect the chicken meat supply as those birds were placed elsewhere.

While some areas of North America saw egg shortages, that wasn’t much of an issue in Manitoba, which produces more eggs than it consumes, Rybuck said.

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