Question Period Note: HIGHLY PATHOGENIC AVIAN INFLUENZA (HPAI)

Q1 – Does avian influenza pose risks to human health? Q2 – What is the effect of avian influenza on the export of poultry and poultry products? Q3 - What is the effect of avian influenza on the import of poultry and poultry products? Q4 – Are poultry vaccines available for avian influenza? Q5 – What is the Government of Canada doing about avian influenza and how is it protecting animal and human health and curtailing the spread of the disease?

R.1 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency disease response aims to protect public and animal health, minimize impacts on the domestic poultry industry, and the Canadian economy. All avian influenza viruses, particularly H5 and H7 viruses, have the potential to infect mammals, including humans.

The current risk to the general public remains low. However, people in close contact with infected birds or contaminated environments, or occupationally exposed groups, are considered to be at low to moderate risk of infection. On November 13, 2024, the Public Health Agency of Canada confirmed a human case of avian influenza caused by the H5N1 virus in Canada.

Avian influenza is not a food safety concern. To date, there is no evidence to suggest that consuming pasteurized milk or eating thoroughly cooked meat or eggs could transmit the virus to humans. R.2 - The Government of Canada works closely with its key trading partners to minimize the impact of trade disruptions. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency continues to notify the World Organisation for Animal Health of all positive highly pathogenic avian influenza detections.

The establishment of primary control zones (PCZs) is an important measure for maintaining international trade. Canada has bilateral zoning arrangements with the United States and the European Union to expedite the return to trade. R.3 - Canada places restrictions on the import of live poultry and birds, raw poultry meat and raw egg products when outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza are reported in trading partner countries.

For the countries whose zoning is accepted by Canada (United Kingdom, European Union, United States, and Chile), they may continue to export these commodities from zones that are free from highly pathogenic avian influenza. For other countries where Canada does not accept zoning, restrictions are placed on the entire country. R.4 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Canadian Centre for Veterinary Biologics has licensed three highly pathogenic avian influenza vaccines for use in chickens. These vaccines are licensed for emergency preparedness use only and may only be imported into Canada with special permission from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. At this time, preventative vaccination against highly pathogenic avian influenza is not permitted in Canada. R.5 - Highly pathogenic avian influenza is a federally reportable disease in Canada. All suspected cases in any species must be reported to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency undertakes a ‘stamping out’ approach to control the disease when detected. In addition, primary control zones are declared to help control the potential spread of the disease. These zones limit the movement of domestic poultry, vehicles and other things that may carry and spread the disease.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency also actively monitors avian influenza outbreaks in trading partner countries. If needed, it puts trade restrictions in place to help prevent the virus from entering Canada and into domestic production systems through live birds, hatching eggs, or avian products and by-products.

Cattle
As with all avian influenza viruses for all species, there are mandatory reporting obligations when there is a suspicion of disease in dairy cattle. In addition, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is facilitating the voluntary domestic testing of cows not presenting with clinical signs of highly pathogenic avian influenza to enhance industry biosecurity efforts.

Active national surveillance of milk is also taking place. Sampling and testing of pasteurized commercial milk and raw milk collected at the processor level began in May 2024. To date, avian influenza has not been detected in Canadian dairy cattle.

Canada has import controls in place for live cattle from the United States to prevent the introduction of animal diseases to the Canadian herd.

L’influenza aviaire (IA) est une infection virale contagieuse qui peut frapper plusieurs espèces de volaille destinées à la consommation, ainsi que les oiseaux de compagnie, les oiseaux sauvages et les mammifères, dont les bovins. Les virus de l’IA sont répartis en deux catégories, selon la gravité de la maladie qu’ils causent chez les volailles : l’influenza aviaire faiblement pathogène (IAFP) et l’influenza aviaire hautement pathogène (IAHP).

L’IAHP est un enjeu lié à l’approche Une seule santé. Les mandats de plusieurs ministères fédéraux et gouvernements provinciaux et territoriaux exigent leur intervention en cas de détection de l’IAHP (p. ex., Environnement et Changement climatique Canada lorsque l’IAHP est détectée chez des espèces sauvages, ou l’Agence de la santé publique du Canada, lorsque les humains sont exposés à des animaux infectés à l’IAHP ou ont été en contact avec ces animaux). L’approche Une seule santé reconnaît les liens entre les personnes, les animaux, les végétaux et leur environnement commun.

L’ACIA intervient lorsque l’influenza aviaire hautement pathogène (IAHP) est détectée au sein de petits troupeaux et d’exploitations agricoles commerciales et non commerciales abritant des oiseaux au Canada. L’intervention aide à éliminer l’IAHP et à empêcher sa propagation chez la volaille tout en minimisant l’incidence de la maladie sur les Canadiennes et les Canadiens, ainsi que sur le commerce international.

Les activités de renseignement sur le risque indiquent que les éclosions d’IAHP sont plus susceptibles de se produire pendant la saison migratoire des oiseaux sauvages, et que les éclosions chez la volaille sont plus fréquentes à l’automne qu’au printemps.

Troupeaux de volaille domestique canadiens infectés à ce jour

Le tableau ci-dessous indique le nombre d’exploitations touchées à l’heure actuelle et celles qui l’ont déjà été. De décembre 2021 au 20 août 2025 :

Cumul des exploitations agricoles (fermes) touchées par province
Alberta 87
Colombie-Britannique 239
Manitoba 26
Nouveau-Brunswick 2
Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador 4
Nouvelle-Écosse 10
Île-du-Prince-Édouard 1
Ontario 61
Québec 59
Saskatchewan 49
Total 538
Nombre d’oiseaux infectés 14 566 000
**Ces nombres représentent à la fois les lieux actuellement infectés et les lieux précédemment infectés (lieux libérés)

• The Government of Canada and the poultry industry have been working together to support Canadian families and poultry farmers whose livelihoods depend on maintaining international market access for $1.75 billion in exports.

• All avian influenza viruses, particularly H5 and H7 viruses, have the potential to infect mammals, including humans.

• Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s disease response aims to protect both public and animal health, as well as minimize impacts on the $6.8 billion domestic poultry industry and the Canadian economy.

• Disease response is accomplished through timely depopulation of domestic birds on infected premises, implementing strong biosecurity measures, and properly disposing of carcasses from birds exposed to the disease.

• The situation is challenging for everyone involved, including animal owners, producers, animal health professionals, and communities across the country.