QUESTION PERIOD — Agriculture and Agri-Food
Avian Influenza
May 17, 2022
Honourable senators, my question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.
It’s a question about avian influenza, which I don’t think is a topic we have discussed here before. Alberta is in the midst of an avian influenza outbreak, with 24 farms affected to date and 900,000 — almost 1 million — birds having been destroyed. The hardest hit, primarily, have been turkey producers and hatching-egg producers.
Can the government representative tell us what the CFIA is doing to track and contain avian flu outbreaks, which I believe are happening in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec right now?
Thank you for the question. Indeed, there was an outbreak not far from where I lived in the Eastern Townships in Quebec.
The government understands that the avian influenza is causing considerable stress to all poultry producers, even if they are — and they are — being vigilant and rigorous in their application of biosecurity measures to protect their animals. I am advised that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is moving quickly to prevent the spread of the disease and to apply depopulation and disinfection protocols to affected facilities. If a poultry flock is affected by avian influenza, the agency follows a protocol to depopulate and disinfect the facility. The government continues to monitor the situation closely and is in continuous contact with the affected provinces and with industry.
When you speak about depopulation and decontamination, those are expensive processes for the farmers who not only lose their livestock but have to pay for the cost of cleaning and decontaminating their facilities. Can you tell us what support the federal government is providing to farmers who are affected by this?
Thank you, colleague, for the supplementary question.
I’m advised that businesses whose production is lost to depopulation efforts are being compensated at fair market value. Producers also have access to a series of business risk management programs. As previously indicated, the government is monitoring and actively engaged on this file, including working with the industry to provide timely compensation and to support the safe resumption of operations as quickly as possible.
