After more than a month of almost daily outbreaks of highly-pathogenic avian influenza among flocks in Lower Mainland British Columbia, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has announced a pilot project for quarantine zones in which all traffic in and out of poultry farms is regulated.
The CFIA said this new approach for this specific region in Canada will allow industry to maintain business continuity and meet international trade obligations. It will also help reduce and simplify the surveillance requirements in this area for producers without increasing the risk of disease spread.
Eleven predetermined geographical zones will be declared and revoked as needed when an infected premise is within the zone or if the it is within 10 km of the zone’s borders.
In contrast with standard quarantine zones which are created or amended with each new detection, the Fraser Valley zone boundaries will remain constant and can be “re-activated” throughout this outbreak event.
When declared, these zones will transition from pre-determined zones to declared primary control zones to which quarantines apply. In all other parts of Canada, primary control zones (quarantines) will continue to be established around individual infected premises classified as poultry (according to the World Organization for Animal Health criteria), the CFIA said in a news release.
