Countries place restrictions on N.S. poultry over avian flu

Canada’s animal health status has changed to ‘not free from AI,’ CFIA says

CBC News · 

Several countries have put restrictions on Canadian poultry, especially from Nova Scotia, after avian flu was detected in the area.

In a news release on Wednesday, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency stated it had notified the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) regarding the finding of high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in a commercial poultry flock in Nova Scotia.

As a result of this detection, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Canada’s animal health status has changed to “not free from AI.”

Countries and regions that have now imposed trade restrictions on Canadian poultry include Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Africa, South Korea, the Philippines, the U.S., Mexico, the Russian Federation, Japan and the European Union.

The restrictions vary from covering products only from western Nova Scotia to covering all live poultry, poultry meat and eggs originating from anywhere in Canada.

Nova Scotia confirmed its first case of avian flu at the start of February. The case was found in a wild goose in Grand Desert, N.S.

On Friday, 12,000 turkeys at a commercial barn in western Nova Scotia had to be euthanized after avian influenza was discovered at the farm.