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A small H5 find doesn't justify a poultry lockdown, say Canadian farmer
A free-range poultry farmer on Prince Edward
Island, Canada, criticised an official suggestion that the H5 bird flu find in
West Prince warranted the placing of all poultry
indoors.
Raymond Loo, who raised free-range poultry in Queens County, said "I think
because we have a couple of goslings that got sick up west with avian flu, it
would be a shame if they decided to…. you know impose some kind of real strict
rules on PEI".
The H5 bird flu virus was found in a backyard flock of
poultry in West Prince, four goslings out of a flock of 40 were infected. The
exact strain of the virus has yet to be established but Canadian officials do
not believe it to be the deadly H5N1 strain.
And following the
discovery, Dr Jim Clark, head of the avian influenza working group for the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the H5 find is a good lesson for anyone who
keeps poultry. Adding that poultry should be kept in a locked-down barn, with
strict rules on who goes in and out.
However, Loo maintains that
keeping his flock outside produces a healthier product and consumers should have
the option to choose what type of poultry they want to
buy.
Editor WorldPoultry
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