B.C. Poultry Farmers Uniquely Equipped to Respond to Possible Avian Flu

[claireokc]

Poultry farmers in British Columbia are under pressure to protect their flocks as a highly contagious strain of avian flu sweeps over North America. Ray Nickel, spokesman for the B.C. Poultry Association Emergency Operations Centre, says they’ll use the lessons learned to prevent infections after two severe outbreaks since 2004 that forced them to cull millions of birds. The H5N1 strain of avian flu is highly pathogenic and can cause serious disease and death in birds, says the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Nickel, a commercial poultry farmer in Abbotsford and member of the BC Chicken Marketing Board, said farmers are worried after a case of avian flu was confirmed on a North Okanagan farm last week. ...

Source: https://www.theepochtimes.com/b-c-poult ... 16128.html