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Avian flu outbreak at Vancouver Island petting farm

Avian flu outbreak at Vancouver Island petting farm prompts exposure notice from health authority | CBC News

The owner of Holly Hill Farm said on Facebook that each of their approximately 50 chickens and ducks were put down after they learned avian flu, also known as H5N1, was spreading through the flock.

Vancouver Island’s health authority is warning the public after an avian flu outbreak at a petting farm resulted in the euthanasia of 50 animals and possible human exposure.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been killing animals around the world, and British Columbia is a major hub for the disease. More than half of birds killed due to the virus spread over the past few years – 6 million of 11 million – have been in B.C.

The disease has also been seen in mammals, including wild mammals, marine mammals, cows, and pigs. There have been 44 reported human cases in the U.S. and one in Canada. “So far, the people who are contracting the disease have gotten it from cows or chickens.”

The spread and mutation of avian flu is accelerated by commercial poultry farms, where birds such as chickens and turkeys are often raised in crowded, stressful conditions. Earlier this year, an article by Eleanor Boyle discussed the avian flu outbreak and the need to transition away from industrial animal agriculture to address disease spread.

Ends November 8: Share your top 3 welfare concerns for chickens & turkeys

The National Farm Animal Care Council’s (NFACC) Chicken and Turkey Code of Practice, which serves as a guideline for on-farm care and handling of birds raised for meat, is coming up for review. The current code allows for many inhumane practices that compromise the welfare of chickens and turkeys in the poultry industry, such as overcrowding and painful procedures.

By taking the quick survey, you can help determine the top priorities for the code review and speak up for hundreds of millions of individual animals.