By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Monday April 11, 2022

Apr 11, 2022 | 12:13 PM

MELFORT, Sask. – Poultry farmers in Saskatchewan, particularly ones with small flocks, are being encouraged to keep their birds indoors after agriculture officials said a highly pathogenic type of bird flu was detected in a goose.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed the H5 strain of avian influenza was detected in a wild snow goose that was found near Elrose.

CFIA said small flocks are considered high-risk for highly pathogenic avian influenza because they are commonly allowed access to outdoor pens or are free-range which means there’s a high probability of contact with wild birds or areas visited by wild birds that may be contaminated with the virus.

Saskatchewan’s agriculture ministry said the last time highly pathogenic avian influenza was found in the province in either commercial poultry or wild birds was in 2007.

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The head of the Prince Edward Island Potato Board said he has mixed feelings about the $28 million earmarked in the new federal budget to help the Island’s potato farming sector.

Board general manager Greg Donald said he’s still looking for more details about the funding, but he said any help for the sector is welcome after a disastrous fall and winter.

The federal budget tabled Thursday earmarks $16 million over two years for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency for investments in the potato sector.

There is also $12 million set aside for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to accelerate its investigation into its latest detection of the potato wart fungus.

Potatoes grown in the province were exported to the United States last week for the first time in about four months after a discovery of fungal wart at two Island farms prompted Canada to ban all exports of P.E.I. spuds to the U.S.

Donald said both programs will likely help, but he the export ban should have never happened in the first place.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW