Avian flu found in small Comox poultry flock

May 12, 2022

Vancouver Island has it first case of avian flu.

A small poultry flock in the Comox Valley has tested positive for the highly pathogenic or disease-causing H5N1 avian influenza virus.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed the positive cases Wednesday and placed the infected premises under quarantine. The Ministry of Agriculture also notified producers within a 12-kilometre radius about the positive test results.

To date, seven small or backyard flocks have contracted the virus across British Columbia, likely through contact with infected migrating wild birds.

The province is urging owners of small or backyard flocks to continue to be vigilant and have appropriate preventative measures in place.

The Island’s largest poultry and egg producers have had strict measures in place for more than a month.

Anyone with poultry is being urged to eliminate or reduce opportunities for poultry to encounter wild birds, reduce human access to the flock and increase cleaning, disinfection and sanitization of everything, including clothing and footwear, when entering areas where flocks are housed.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.