Alberta Avian Flu H5N1 numbers increase

Apr 12, 2022

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency reporting Monday that six poultry flocks in Alberta have now been quarantined as a result of Avian Influenza H5N1cases.

Health Canada says this is not a food safety issue and does not pose a food safety risk.

The Alberta Poultry Industry Emergency Management Team is in place and includes the Alberta Hatching Egg Producers, Egg Farmers of Alberta, Alberta Chicken Producers and Alberta Turkey Producers.

APIEM Team member David Webb says the industry groups are working closely with Alberta Agriculture and the CFIA to first and foremost confirm avian influenza whenever there is a suspected case.

"Then typically what that means is there would be a flock depopulation, as it is a federally reportable disease. Obviously, we want as an industry to minimize any suffering from the birds and want to also prevent further spread of avian influenza."

He says for producers right now, it's important to have heightened awareness of bird health and focus on biosecurity measures.

"Limit who comes on and off your property. Who goes into the barn, where the actual l birds are housed. To take some of the ongoing protocols, you know, to the extreme when it comes to changing your boots and even clothing when you're going in and out of the barns and could be coming into contact with the birds."

Webb says being extra diligent to prevent an occurrence is key, even sanitizing tires and wheel wells when vehicles enter and exit the property.

What's important for the public to realize is this is a flock health issue, and will not and has not impacted the food chain.

"One thing that is very important to remember that I'd like to stress is that Health Canada has assured that this is not a food safety issue. So there should not be any concerns amongst Albertans. It doesn't have any impact on the food supply. It's really a flock health issue. So, it's farmers doing their best to protect the health and well-being of their flocks, whether it's the broiler chickens, the egg laying chickens or turkeys."

Click here to see more...

Video: Learning to Wrench From Dad the Hard Way

Harvest is a week out and the farm picked this week to fall apart. The truck needs a battery, the barn curtain's got a problem, and the corn and beans are telling us we're out of time to get it all fixed.

So it's a full day of wrenching. Tork supervises while I get the truck back running, then we're out at the hog barn where one rusted up part has the whole curtain system hung up. Ladder work, cable work, and a little dad-and-son disagreement about the right way to do it. We close it out walking the fields, shelling beans and checking corn, because whether everything's fixed or not, harvest starts when harvest starts.

Chapters: 00:00 Everything breaks the week before harvest 01:00 Tork supervises while I fix the truck 12:30 Out to the barn to find the curtain problem 14:30 One rusty part hung up the whole curtain 20:00 Running the curtain cable from the ladder 24:00 Walking the beans and corn before harvest 26:30 Wrapping up

We're a 6th generation family farm in southeast Iowa showing the real ups and downs of pig farming and row crop farming. No script, just the work. Subscribe and follow along.

JOIN THE BARN TALK NEWSLETTER AND GET LIVE EVENT ACCESS: We're on a mission to hit 10,000 subscribers, and when we do, we're hosting a live event at the barn. Sign up for exclusive access to tickets and details.