By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Nov 22, 2023 | 1:04 PM

Poultry farmers in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley are reporting extremely high levels of stress as the latest avian flu outbreak puts millions of commercial birds at risk.

Amanda Brittain with the B.C. Poultry Association said farmers are taking extra precautions, including disinfecting any vehicles travelling to and from their properties and wearing personal protective gear.

She said farmers are isolating themselves from each other to avoid spreading the virus and resorting to online platforms to discuss how to handle the outbreak.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said there have been 39 infected commercial and backyard flocks in B.C. since Oct. 20, as wild birds migrate south over the farms, spreading the disease.

CFIA reported roughly five million birds have been affected this fall meaning they’ve died or been culled.

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Agriculture Minister Pam Alexis said the B.C. government has been working with farmers and CFIA on preventing further infections and added a $5-million program this spring to help improve bio-security at farms.

Provincial health officer Bonnie Henry has urged poultry workers to get their flu shots, since there’s concern that a rare human infection could cause the virus to mutate into something more contagious among people.

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The Beef Cattle Research Council (BCRC) is asking all Canadian cow-calf producers to share insight into their on-farm management and production practices which will provide direction on future beef research and extension strategies.

The 2023 Canadian Cow-Calf Survey is an online questionnaire set up to collect data to help understand longer-term trends in production methods and efficiencies. Information directly from beef cattle producers helps the BCRC identify research priorities and information gaps, develop provincial benchmarks, and examine changes over time that impact farms and ranches.

The survey takes 30 to 60 minutes to complete and relates to 2023 calf crops, starting with breeding in summer 2022 and ending with weaning in fall 2023.

Previous cow-calf production surveys were conducted provincially and regionally between 2013 and 2017 in Western Canada, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada.

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The Swine Health Information Center has selected a new executive director.

Dr. Megan Niederwerder will be elevated into the new role at the end of the year.

Niederwerder will replace founding director Dr. Paul Sundberg who recently announced his retirement.

Dr. Lisa Becton will assume the role of the associate director on Jan. 1.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW