Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — China has banned all imports of U.S. poultry, poultry products and eggs amid recent reports of highly pathogenic strains of avian influenza found in the Pacific Northwest, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday. All such products currently en route to the country will either be destroyed or returned, according to […] Read more
China bans U.S. poultry, eggs imports amid avian flu fears
Cargill to shutter U.S. turkey plant
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Agricultural conglomerate Cargill said Friday it will shutter its turkey and cooked meats processing plant in Springfield, Mo., and move the operations to Nebraska City, Nebraska, and Waco, Texas. Cargill said it will close its Springfield plant, which employs 118 people, on March 11. The decision came about after Cargill assessed its turkey […] Read more
Canada blocks poultry, eggs from U.S. Northwest
Reading Time: 2 minutes Birds, eggs and poultry products from Washington and Oregon are being kept out of Canada after findings of high-path avian flu in a pair of backyard flocks in those states. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Dec. 24 reported highly pathogenic (“high-path”) H5N2 avian flu in a backyard free-range flock of geese, turkeys, chickens, ducks […] Read more
FCC, BMO offer breaks on loans to poultry farmers
Reading Time: 2 minutes Poultry producers up against direct impacts from avian influenza outbreaks at farms in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley may be able to get breaks on their outstanding loans with some lenders. Farm Credit Canada (FCC) and BMO Bank of Montreal both recently announced they may grant affected customers some leeway on payments. FCC said it “will […] Read more
Hong Kong culls chickens, suspends imports after H7 bird flu found
Reading Time: 2 minutes Hong Kong | Reuters — Hong Kong began culling 15,000 chickens on Wednesday and suspended imports of live poultry from mainland China for 21 days after the H7 bird flu strain was discovered in a batch of live chickens from the southern province of Guangdong. Authorities also ordered the closure of the wholesale poultry market, […] Read more
CFIA caught up on Fraser Valley bird depopulations
Reading Time: 2 minutes Birds at the 11 commercial poultry farms and one other property hit so far this month by H5N2 avian influenza in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley have been euthanized. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency reported it had completed “depopulation” of the 85 birds including ducks, chickens, geese and turkeys at a “non-commercial” farm in the Aldergrove […] Read more
B.C. egg farm joins turkey, broiler farms on quarantine list
Reading Time: 2 minutes A 53,000-bird table egg layer operation in the greater Vancouver area is the 10th farm in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland to be confirmed with avian influenza since the beginning of the month. The farm, in the Langley municipality, was investigated Saturday under “suspicion” of avian flu and confirmed later that day to be infected with […] Read more
Cargill sees $1B investment in Indonesia, eyes poultry sector
Reading Time: 2 minutes Jakarta | Reuters — Cargill may invest US$1 billion in Indonesia over the next three to four years, with a focus on entering the poultry sector and expanding its palm business there, the CEO of the top global commodities trader said Tuesday. Earlier this year, Indonesia entered talks to resume poultry shipments to Japan after […] Read more
Avian flu arrives on more B.C. poultry farms
Reading Time: 2 minutes Federal officials monitoring avian flu outbreaks in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley aren’t surprised to have confirmed another three, maybe four, infected properties. According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in a statement Wednesday, two more farms — both close to the initial pair of farms confirmed last week with high-pathogenicity H5N2 avian flu — have […] Read more
Poultry, captive bird movements now limited in southern B.C.
Reading Time: 2 minutes Movements of birds, poultry products and poultry farm equipment are under new restrictions in the area where five poultry farms in British Columbia have been quarantined with avian flu. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Monday announced a new “primary control zone” in the entire southern half of B.C. south of Highway 16, split in […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
