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Newcastle disease identified in British Columbia

Movement controls placed around two commercial pigeon operations

Newcastle disease has been detected on two commercial pigeon operations in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said in a June 19 notice to industry it’s the first time the virus has been detected in a commercial operation in Canada since 1973.




File photo of cattle on pasture.(MikeEntertainment/iStock.Getty Images)

Briefs: Carbon and beef cattle; biosecurity and livestock

Reading Time: < 1 minute Carbon and beef cattle Every living thing contains carbon, and everything — including cattle, grasslands,and people — is part of the carbon cycle. Raising beef cattle can have both positiveand negative impacts on the carbon cycle and different management practicescan increase or decrease the sector’s carbon footprint. Learn more about howproduction systems stack up by […] Read more


House committee urges biosecurity boost

House committee urges biosecurity boost

Report calls for annual reviews, new vaccines, and says veterinarian shortage worrying

Reading Time: 2 minutes A new report from the House of Commons agriculture committee recommends stronger defences when it comes to diseases like avian influenza, BSE, foot and mouth disease and African swine fever. The report, “Protecting Against Animal Biosecurity Risks: The State of Canada’s Preparedness,” included seven recommendations to combat existing and future disease concerns. Animal disease outbreaks […] Read more

Conservative agriculture critic John Barlow speaks Nov. 24, 2021 in the House of Commons. (Screengrab from supplied video)

Anti-activist bill back before Commons committee

Bill adds protections for biosecurity, farmers' mental health, Barlow says

A bill to create harsher penalties for unlawful entry onto farms and biosecure zones is back before the House of Commons after a previous iteration died on the order table in 2021. Conservative MP John Barlow brought forward Bill C-275, “an Act to amend the Health of Animals Act (biosecurity on farms),” as a private […] Read more


Although protesters aren’t willingly jeopardizing farm biosecurity, they don’t understand protocols and how proactive measures protect against potential animal pandemics, MP John Barlow says.

Federal bill aims to tighten biosecurity and trespass protections

Bill C-275, with adds fines for organizations that encourage trespassing in livestock zones, is making its way through the House of Commons

Reading Time: 3 minutes Second time lucky is the hope for a federal private member’s bill that would strengthen biosecurity on farms through the Health of Animals Act. Bill C-275 would make it an offence to enter a place where animals are kept, without lawful authority or excuse, if doing so could result in a biosecurity risk. “Simply put, […] Read more

(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Avian flu outbreaks climb in Quebec poultry

Thirteen outbreaks reported in province so far in April

After a relatively quiet March with just one outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in domestic poultry, Quebec has turned up 13 outbreaks so far this month. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency in April has reported detections of high-path avian flu at 13 sites in that province, including: three commercial barns in the regional county […] Read more


The number of wild pigs is increasing rapidly on the Prairies. And while Saskatchewan is most affected, they have been reported in two dozen Alberta municipalities.

Alarm bells are finally ringing as wild pig numbers soar

Spread of planet’s ‘worst invasive large mammal’ is prompting action — including a controversial bounty

Reading Time: 6 minutes There’s a growing realization that wild pigs are becoming a major threat to Prairie agriculture — but also concern that a new provincial bounty could worsen the problem. “Wild pigs are the worst invasive large mammal on the planet,” said Ryan Brook, a USask associate professor of animal sciences and the country’s leading expert on […] Read more

Jeff Notenbomer has implemented very robust biosecurity measures on his farm but still worries a deadly strain of bird flu might arrive via something as simple as a leaf blowing into a barn when a door is momentarily open.

Avian flu hits Alberta, and the cost is already high

The bird flu strain spreading around the world has a very high mortality rate, says producer

Reading Time: 3 minutes Alberta poultry and egg producers remain on alert as the highly pathogenic H5N1 subtype of avian influenza continues to spread across the country. At press time, there have been 17 confirmed cases of avian influenza. Flocks on affected properties have been euthanized using CO2 gas under federal protocols. Primary control zones are being established in […] Read more