WELLINGTON COUNTY – The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) are controlling the movement of poultry in and out of Wellington County after second case of bird flu was detected, this one in a flock of ducks at a commercial operation.
A CFIA spokesperson confirmed by email the highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza, called H5N1, was detected on Monday in the Township of Centre Wellington “related to poultry operation involving duck species.”
This is the second case locally after the virus was detected at a Guelph/Eramosa turkey farm in late March, but it's the sixth overall outbreak in the province.
Each infected premise has been placed under quarantine and the CFIA recommends enhanced biosecurity for other farms within that area.
On March 31, the CFIA established the PCZ in the areas where the disease has been identified. This means birds, their products, byproducts and things exposed to birds can’t be moved in or out of the zone without a permit from the CFIA.
One of the control zones includes parts of Guelph/Eramosa and Centre Wellington including Elora, Salem Ponsonby, Inverhaugh, Ariss, Ennotville and west Fergus. This control zone also includes much of the Township of Woolwich and parts of the Waterloo Region.
A CFIA spokesperson previously said the source of the outbreak is most likely from wild birds and spread through migration.
