(Regis Lefebure photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. livestock: CME hog futures slump on strong dollar, bird flu woes

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell three per cent Wednesday, with deferred contracts making new lows, on the strong dollar and bird flu in Arkansas, traders said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday confirmed the case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in a commercial turkey flock in Arkansas. Investors […] Read more

(Stephen Ausmus photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Movement restrictions lifted on B.C. birds

Reading Time: 2 minutes British Columbia’s poultry producers no longer need federal permits to move their wares in the province. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed Wednesday it has removed its avian influenza primary control zone (PCZ) — a zone which had covered the entire southern half of B.C., including Vancouver Island and the Queen Charlotte Islands. CFIA in […] Read more


(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

H5N2 avian flu spreads down Mississippi flyway

Reading Time: 2 minutes Two more states whose migrating birds’ flight paths cross over much of the Prairies and Ontario now have outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian flu in commercial turkeys. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Tuesday expanded its restrictions on cross-border imports of U.S. birds, eggs and uncooked poultry products to include those from Missouri. The […] Read more

(Eggs.ca)

Canada blocking poultry, eggs from Minnesota

Reading Time: 2 minutes Discovery of H5N2 avian flu at a commercial turkey operation in central Minnesota has led Canada to curb cross-border imports of poultry and eggs from the state. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) on Friday announced restrictions blocking any raw poultry or poultry products or byproducts that aren’t fully cooked. Such products — including eggs […] Read more



CFIA’s now-revised “restricted” zone for avian flu in the Fraser Valley is in orange; “infected” zones are in red. (Inspection.gc.ca)

CFIA shrinks restricted zone in B.C. avian flu outbreak

Reading Time: 2 minutes Quarantines ending on poultry and egg farms in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley have allowed federal officials to slightly pull back their zone coverage against the spread of avian flu. As of last Thursday (Feb. 12), federal quarantines are lifted on five of the 11 commercial broiler, turkey and egg farms that were confirmed in December to be […] Read more


(Stephen Ausmus photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Hens near Chilliwack catch H5N1 avian flu

Reading Time: 2 minutes About 95 layer hens on a “non-commercial” farm near Chilliwack are the Fraser Valley’s latest cases of avian influenza, but not of the same strain seen at 12 other farms in December. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Saturday announced a quarantine on the Chilliwack farm after confirming, effective Feb. 2, that table egg-laying birds […] Read more

New Washington poultry quarantine set up near B.C. border

Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — The state of Washington said Tuesday it has established a third poultry quarantine zone just outside British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, after state officials discovered a flock of about 100 birds infected with an avian influenza virus. The Washington State Department of Agriculture adopted an emergency rule on Sunday to establish the new quarantine […] Read more


Husband of B.C. woman with H7N9 also infected

Reading Time: < 1 minute Toronto | Reuters –– The husband of a woman who tested positive for the H7N9 avian flu virus earlier this week was also infected, likely from a common source during their visit to China, federal and provincial officials confirmed Friday. The couple, residents of British Columbia, exhibited symptoms one day apart and likely did not […] Read more

(Scott Bauer photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

Canada expands blocks on U.S. poultry, eggs

Reading Time: 2 minutes Canada’s avian flu-related ban on imports of poultry, birds and eggs from Washington and Oregon has been expanded to include the same products from California and Idaho. The ban was expanded after outbreaks of avian flu in poultry in the past week in both states, including a backyard flock of chickens in Idaho infected with […] Read more