More poultry operations quarantined in Canada

Several more poultry operations in south-western British Columbia, Fraser Valley have been quarantined following the bird flu outbreak last month, said the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

CFIA said there are now 36 premises under quarantine, including seven more outside the three-kilometre radius of the infected turkey barn and two inside that radius.

The newly quarantined buildings were identified as a result of an assessment of the movement of people, products and equipment.

CFIA also said all the flocks under surveillance have tested negative for the bird flu virus but monitoring and testing will still continue.

Meanwhile, CFIA said in-barn composting is underway at the two barns where the H5 strain of the virus was first detected.

This is the third bird flu outbreak in Fraser Valley in the last few years - a frequency scientists believe is related to the high-concentration of poultry operations in the valley and its location under the Pacific migratory flyway for wild birds that carry the disease.