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The agency confirmed the presence of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of bird flu in a swarm in the Township of Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation on Thursday – the fourth since the beginning of this week. The agency said it had quarantined the farm. Traffic is restricted inside and outside the farm and enhanced biosecurity measures are recommended for other farms nearby. Avian flu has previously been reported on farms in Zorra Township in western Oxford County, near Guelph and Woolwich Township north of Kitchener. The federal agency said earlier this week that the disease had been reported in turkey herds in those three areas. It was not possible to contact a spokesman on Friday to find out if the fourth outbreak was also in turkeys or other bird species.
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The Canadian Food and Drug Administration says bird flu is spreading to wild bird populations around the world and is a major concern as birds migrate to Canada. Ontario is the largest poultry producer in the country, with much of its industry in southwestern Ontario. Ontario turkey producers trade between 85 and 90 million kilograms of turkey each year, about 45 percent of Canada’s total. Ontario farmers also raise more than 200 million chickens a year. The Ontario Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs says bird flu is not a threat to food safety when done properly and cooked. He also says that bird flu is not a major public health concern for healthy people who do not come into regular contact with infected birds. In 2015, three farms in Oxford County were affected by cases of an H5N2 strain of bird flu. About 80,000 birds, mostly turkeys, went extinct as officials spent months trying to curb the disease.
