More than two million turkeys have either died or been
euthanized when flocks have been hit by avian influenza strain H5N2 in the
United States.
One turkey flock and one broiler breeder chicken flock, both
in Oxford County, have been hit in Ontario.
National Turkey Federation vice-president
Keith Williams says the U.S. losses won’t have much impact on the overall
industry which produces about 240 million turkeys a year.
While Minnesota has been hit hard with
26 flocks and 1.6 million turkeys lost so far, Williams said there are turkey
producers in 25 other states.
Exports are hurt because many countries
have imposed bans on U.S. poultry, but Williams said many of them have only
banned poultry from specific states and counties. About 12 per cent of U.S.
turkey production is exported.
Other than breeding stock, Canada has
minimal exports of poultry products, preferring instead to run a high-tariff
supply-management system that effectively prices Canada out of exporting.
Why Canada needs supply management for poultry is a good question, given that the climate, genetics, management, infrastructure and production costs are similar between Canada and export-oriented United States.
