The avian flu crisis that is hitting at the moment is unprecedented in North America, for many professionals in the field, according to a professor from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Montreal.
• Read also: Bas-Saint-Laurent: thousands of carcasses invade the region
• Read also: Gannets found dead on Bonaventure Island: the phenomenon is circumscribed but worrying
• Read also: A tractor to pick up gannet corpses in the Îles de la Madeleine
“You can take a veterinarian with 30 or 35 years of experience in the field and I can assure you that he has never seen an avian flu crisis as widespread as that in his career,” says veterinary professor Carl Gagnon. We have seen specific outbreaks of avian influenza that were very well controlled in the past. It was nothing like what we are going through today.”
Since the first case of avian influenza in Newfoundland in December 2021, the virus, which originated in Asia and Europe, has mutated a few times.
“The virus has evolved over time and currently we find ourselves with strains, a bit like COVID-19, indicates Carl Gagnon. It’s already different […] It infects all birds in a very contagious way and it is transmitted very easily in all species. The virus has been found in nearly twenty different birds. This promotes its spread on the territory.
Biosecurity
In the long term, however, avian influenza is likely to return regularly, according to the professor. Compliance with biosecurity standards will be essential for poultry farmers in La Belle Province.
“The more wild birds are contaminated, the greater the risk will be for our farms,” says Carl Gagnon. Farmers are aware of the situation. You really have to ensure compliance with biosecurity measures. Avoid having visitors on the farm. It is enough for a bird’s droppings to fall on a boot of an individual entering the barn and that is enough for an outbreak. People are asked to take showers when entering and leaving the farm and to change clothes.
“As for large producers who have different production sites, it’s super important not to share staff and equipment, adds the man who has worked for 18 years in veterinary medicine at the University of Montreal. This is exactly the source of the propagation of the Canards du Lac Brome business. The virus has spread to different sites.”
In the short term, however, the peak of the avian flu crisis may have been reached. Carl Gagnon expects a period of calm in the coming weeks, due to the end of the bird migration period.
