CFIA establishes control zone to contain the spread of bird flu in poultry farms

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has established a primary control zone in British Columbia after a detecting avian influenza at a fifth farm in the region.

The primary control zone has been established bordering the west by the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the US border, on the north by Highway 16, and on the east by the border between British Columbia and Alberta.

The control zone has been divided into three disease control zones, infected, restricted and security. The three zones represent different levels of risk, with movement restrictions varying accordingly.

Most of the restrictions will apply to the infected and restricted zones because of the infection-spreading potential of the virus.

Owing to the spread of the infection, seven countries including the US, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, South Africa and Mexico have imposed a ban on poultry products from BC or all of Canada.

The Star Tribune quoted Canada’s chief veterinary officer Harpreet Kochhar as saying that birds from the first farms where avian influenza was detected had already been euthanised.

He said that while the source of information was not known, there was a possibility of it having been carried to the farms by wild or migratory birds.

CFIA stated that the influenza viruses do not pose risks to food safety when poultry and poultry products are properly handled and cooked. Humans are rarely affected by the influenza as long as they are not in consistent contact with infected birds.

The authority has urged poultry farmers to take an active role in protecting their flocks by employing strict biosecurity measures on their property, and immediately reporting any suspicious symptoms to the CFIA.

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Image: CFIA has established primary control zones to prevent the spread of avian influenza. Photo: courtesy of Simon Howden/freedigitalphotos.net.