Avian flu detected in Fraser Valley, home to 80% of British Columbia's poultry farms

May 23, 2022

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed a commercial poultry farm in Abbotsford has tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus.

It marks the first case of avian flu detected in the Fraser Valley, where 80 per cent of British Columbia's poultry farms are located.

The infected premises have been placed under quarantine by the CFIA and the ministry has notified producers within a 10-kilometre radius, the government said Thursday in a statement.

Previous outbreaks in the Fraser Valley have prompted culls of millions of birds, although poultry groups now say they have tight control measures to prevent the spread from one farm to the next.

Amanda Brittain, the director of communications with B.C. Egg, said the affected flock was a turkey farm in west Abbotsford.

She said anytime the virus is detected, the entire flock must be humanely euthanized to prevent spread.

Avian flu outbreak spreads to Vancouver Island
In this case, Brittain said the farmer lost about 4,000 birds.

"It's very concerning to farmers ... this farmer would have lost his or her whole flock," said Brittain.

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Video: Alberta Honey: A Day at Molenkamp Honey Farms

When was the last time you read the label on your honey?

We spent a day at Molenkamp Honey Farms with Michael Molenkamp, who has been keeping bees for 17 seasons and runs three to four thousand hives. In mid-September, he was finishing treatments and getting his bees ready for winter, and he walked us through how Alberta honey gets made.

Alberta has just 150 commercial beekeepers running 300,000 colonies, and together they produce 40% of Canada’s honey. Long summer days and golden canola fields give Alberta honey a light flavour that’s hard to match anywhere else.

Molenkamp calls Alberta beekeepers some of the most resilient farmers he knows. There’s plenty of Alberta honey to go around, but a lot on our shelves isn’t from here, so his ask is simple. Give the label a second look and choose honey made by Alberta beekeepers, or buy straight from a beekeeper near you.