Avian flu returns to Sask. after more than 10 years

Avian influenza has been detected in Saskatchewan poultry farms and wild birds in the past couple weeks, with evidence of the flu likely showing up in wild birds as well.

On Monday, the Government of Saskatchewan announced the highly contagious disease was confirmed in two poultry flocks days after the province introduced an animal health control area to protect chickens from catching the virus.

One farm, which has a small flock in the rural municipality of Moose Mountain, east of Weyburn, detected the flu Thursday. A commercial flock, in the rural municipality of Loreburn, south of Saskatoon, detected it on Saturday.

"You kind of suspected that it was going to happen," said Graham Snell, executive director of Chicken Farmers of Saskatchewan, which represents 72 broiler poultry farms in the province.

He said people are likely to beef up security to better protect their chickens, although that security is already strict.

Saskatchewan imposed an animal health control order to limit the co-mingling of poultry and cut the risk of exposure.

It prohibits birds from entering shows, auctions or other events where they would be brought to multiple locations and is in place until May 14. 

Saskatchewan said this strain of avian flu does not pose a food safety risk, but regular food safety precautions should be followed when preparing wild game.

The flu now affecting birds in Saskatchewan is a severe strain of influenza that has mingled genes from Eurasia and North America, according to Dr. Trent Bollinger, a professor at Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) and a pathologist.

Bollinger said that the severity of the disease, which he says is the H5N1 strain, depends on the species. 

The professor said smaller poultry farms are more vulnerable to the virus because of less strict security measures. However, larger farms can still contract the virus. 

In 2007, the last time avian flu appeared in commercial poultry or wild birds the province, all 50,000 birds at the Pedigree Poultry farm in Regina Beach were gassed with carbon dioxide when a strain of the influenza was discovered.

Across Canada, about 260,000 birds have been euthanized or killed due to the avian flu strain H5N1 since late 2021.

"All provinces are experiencing the same influx of birds to diagnostic labs and investigating die-offs similar to what we're seeing in Saskatchewan," Bollinger said.