By Alice McFarlane

Agriculture Roundup for Thursday April 14, 2022

Apr 14, 2022 | 9:53 AM

MELFORT, Sask. — A Quebec duck farm has detected a case of avian flu in one of its breeding facilities.

Brome Lake Ducks said in a news release the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza was confirmed Tuesday on a farm in St-Claude, about 160 km east of Montreal.

The company said it has quarantined the farm as well as another facility in Knowlton, Que., and is working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to put biosecurity measures in place.

Quebec’s first bird flu cases were detected in three wild geese earlier this month, and several other provinces have already reported outbreaks in wild and domestic populations.

While most forms of avian flu are mild, H5N1 can cause serious disease and death in birds.

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No human cases have been detected in Canada, and CFIA said avian influenza is not a significant public health concern for healthy people who are not in regular contact with infected birds.

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Higher-than-expected incidences of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) and Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) in certain U.S. states has the industry on alert.

Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) associate director Dr. Megan Niederwerder said recent domestic and global swine disease surveillance reports show an increase in PED levels in Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Iowa.

She said there has been increased activity of PRRS virus in Missouri, Nebraska, Illinois, and Indiana.

“Diagnostic labs have tested almost 40,000 cases for the gastrointestinal diseases, and coronaviruses has been negative for all cases over the last 12 months,” Niederwerder said. “I think that’s a good sign with regards to the negativity of all of the cases that were tested over the last 12 months.”

Niederwerder said when there are increases above what is expected with any disease it’s important to go back to biosecurity and think about the procedures and protocols in place to reduce the risk of transmission from farm to farm.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @farmnewsNOW