With 8.7M birds dead, B.C. farmers assess avian flu toll, and worry about what’s next – CBC

Scientists say spring migration of wild birds brings new challenges, B.C. most affected by ongoing outbreak

Apr 07, 2025

There is a window of relief for British Columbia farmers from the devastating waves of avian flu, leaving them to assess the toll of outbreaks spanning more than three years that saw millions of birds culled at hundreds of farms.

Farmers and scientists also worry what the next migration of wild birds will bring this year.

Some farmers have moved their operations outside British Columbia’s Fraser Valley or exited the industry altogether since the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu began circulating, said farmer Ray Nickel.

Nickel, who operates a farm in Abbotsford in the Fraser Valley, was forced to cull 60,000 chickens in the fall of 2022 due to the disease. He said his flock of about 9,000 turkeys on another farm was also euthanized in 2023.

With 8.7M birds dead, B.C. farmers assess avian flu toll, and worry about what’s next – CBC

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