On December 20th, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) confirmed the presence of a highly pathogenic avian influenza subtype H5N1 at a St. John’s exhibition farm, Lester’s Farm Chalet.
Jim Lester, farmer and owner of Lester’s Farm Chalet, lost 360 of his birds due to this type of avian influenza. Out of an abundance of caution, 59 of the remaining birds on the farm were seized and destroyed by Canadian Food Inspection Agency to prevent further spread of the virus. Confirmed cases of the virus was also confirmed in ducks and geese on the farm.
"Each one of those [birds] had personalities and we had them bred to be social. They were more than just livestock. So it was a true tragedy and it has affected us emotionally as well as financially," says Lester. "A lot of them were rare breeds or specific types of breeds that we have grown for years."
CFIA explains that avian flu circulates naturally in wild birds and the detection of highly pathogenic avian influenzas in Europe, indicates a higher risk of the disease in North American poultry this year.
This flu strain was found on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula. Lester says his birds sometimes encounter wild birds, which he believes were the source of the avian flu found on his farm. His ducks and geese were also in an open pond on the farm where wild ducks occasional land.
CFIA placed Lester’s Farm Chalet under quarantine and established a 10km control zone, as well as enhanced biosecurity for farms within the area aimed at limiting the potential spread of the disease.
The city asks the pubic in the St. Johns area (including Bowring Park and Quidi Vidi Lake) to refrain from feeding, touching, or handling wild birds, including ducks, pigeons, and gulls.
Small scale backyard farmers in the St. John’s area are advised to put their birds in quarantine to avoid contact with wild birds.
It has been known that the H5N1 avian flu causes severe illness and even deaths in other parts of the world. Since November 2003, 700 human infections have been reported to the World Health Organization from primarily 15 countries in Asia, Africa, the Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East.
Fortunately, no evidence that the H5N1 avian flu has made any people in Newfoundland and Labrador sick. The World Health Organization for Animal Health guidance states Canada’s free from avian influenza status remains in place as the infected birds were found on an exhibition farm – this is considered a non-poultry detection.