Bird Flu Found On Canadian Farm
by Ainsley Brown
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has confirmed that it has found avian flu on a turkey farm in British Columbia. The strain of the virus, H5, is a type that doesn’t spread easily and rarely infects humans.
Just as in the last outbreak in 2005 in this part of the country all of the birds will be destroyed. This is an estimated 60, 000 birds on this particular farm. While this seems to be a large number, and will no doubt result in tremendous economic loss for the particular farm, with is early detection the CFIA hopes to prevent the culling of 2004 where over 17 million birds infected with a different strain were destroyed.
However, it is not a total economic loss for the farm. There is government compensated available through CFIA’s Destroyed Animals Regulations.
Farmers are compensated through market value, however, market value is determined by serval factors and the compensation awared is limited to the maximum set out in the above regulations. In other words the government program does not reflect the true market value – nor should it. However, let’s hope at least that that the compensaion at least covers the farmer’s costs.
On a side note: Canada notified the World Organization for Animal Health, as per its international obligations about the outbreak. The organization is responsible tracking and disseminating information on animal disease, welfare and food safety.
