Bird Flu Detected on Canadian Egg Farm
CANADA - An egg farm in Langley is the 10th victim of the avian influenza outbreak.The Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirms that the outbreak was confirmed to have spread to the barns at the egg farm on Saturday.
Eggs laid by chickens at the farm are sold to the public for food, reports The Langley Times.
The flu outbreak means an estimated 53,000 birds will be euthanised from the Langley farm.
Signs are up indicating a restricted area at 232 Street and 40 Avenue and 240 Street and Fraser Highway. The actual address of the farm has not been made available.
The bird flu outbreak was first identified on a turkey farm in Chilliwack on 1 December, prompting the CFIA to declare a control zone covering the southern half of B.C. It has affected both turkey and chicken farms.
The avian flu is highly contagious among birds, but does not travel to humans. Only in very rare cases where a human is in direct and constant contact with birds has it spread to humans.
With the Langley chicken farm, that brings the number of affected birds to 233,800 in the Fraser Valley. Despite the outbreak, it does not appear to be impacting people’s ability to buy turkeys for Christmas.