A fourth flock of domestic birds in southwestern Ontario has come down with highly pathogenic avian influenza, this time a backyard flock with no commercial farms nearby. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said Thursday it confirmed high-path H5N1 avian flu that day in the township of Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation on the […] Read more
Ontario backyard flock hit with avian flu
No commercial flocks in area, feather industry says
Second southwestern Ontario farm hit with avian flu
Separate H5N1 strains hit separate turkey farms
A second turkey operation in southwestern Ontario has been confirmed and quarantined with highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza — but of a strain separate from the one seen in an outbreak in the same region a day earlier. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said in a statement Monday its National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease […] Read more
The threat from above: Alberta’s chief vet issues bird flu warning
A virulent strain of avian influenza is spreading west and backyard flocks are vulnerable
Reading Time: 4 minutes The spring return of migratory birds could bring an unwanted and dangerous guest to poultry flocks here — highly pathogenic avian influenza, says Alberta’s chief provincial veterinarian. “The big thing is to be aware that there is some risk this year,” said Keith Lehman, who issued a warning to backyard poultry owners earlier this month. […] Read more
Maple Leaf to further consolidate Ontario poultry packing
Schomberg, Ont. plant to close by end of 2023
Maple Leaf Foods’ ongoing plan to consolidate its fresh poultry processing at London, Ont. now also includes the work from two more existing plants it owns north of Toronto. Maple Leaf said Wednesday that in “pursuing further optimization opportunities,” it will shift poultry volumes now processed at Bradford and nearby Schomberg to the new London […] Read more
Second Nova Scotia poultry operation hit with avian flu
U.S. also books outbreaks in two states
A second farm in western Nova Scotia has been hit with highly pathogenic avian influenza in commercial birds, further expanding containment measures in that province. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Monday it confirmed high-path H5N1 on Wednesday last week in birds at a mixed farm in the area, where operations include poultry and poultry […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy, corn end lower in volatile sell-off
Wheat down off early strength
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean and corn futures closed lower on Thursday after a wild session, retreating after a run-up to multi-month highs as a wave of profit-taking and farmer selling overshadowed support from shrinking estimates of South American crops due to drought, analysts said. Chicago Board of Trade March soybeans settled down 20-1/2 […] Read more
No trade bans expected from Nova Scotia bird flu findings
High-path H5N1 a 'non-poultry detection'
A new outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a backyard flock in central Nova Scotia isn’t expected to affect international trade in Canada’s feather sectors. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Tuesday confirmed a high-path H5N1 strain affecting birds on the property, describing it Thursday as a “non-poultry detection” among animals not produced […] Read more
Chicken abuse caught on video nets $600,000 in fines
Sofina Foods, chicken-catching company fined; other charges stayed
A poultry processor and its “chicken-catching” service provider whose handling of chickens in British Columbia wound up on network TV are now each on the hook for $300,000 in fines. The fines were levied against Sofina Foods and Elite Farm Services after the two companies pled guilty to two counts each of Health of Animals […] Read more
No bans expected from Newfoundland avian flu outbreak
High-path H5N1 kills 360 birds on 'non-poultry' farm
Neither federal nor international animal health officials expect to see import bans imposed on Canadian poultry coming out of an avian flu outbreak at a farm on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Wednesday reported a confirmed outbreak of a highly-pathogenic (‘high-path’) strain of H5N1 avian influenza at an exhibition farm in […] Read more
Are puppies, plants and backyard chickens still popular?
Nearly two years on, how are newbie pet owners, gardeners, and poultry enthusiasts making out?
Reading Time: 4 minutes Puppies, plants, and backyard chickens became hot trends when the pandemic took hold — but are they still popular almost two years in? Pandemic pets “At the beginning of the pandemic, we were swamped with people,” said Sharla Willis, who has operated a dog-breeding business for 16 years with her mother Dorrie Nelson. “We did […] Read more
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