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?
Q6 - Will Canada vaccinate poultry against highly pathogenic avian influenza?

R1 - 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, can potentially 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.
R2 - The Government of Canada works closely with its key trading partners to help 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.
R3 - 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 recognized as free from highly pathogenic avian influenza. For other countries where Canada does not accept zoning, restrictions are placed on the entire country.
R4 - 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 due to the potentially negative impact it would have on export markets. In 2023, France implemented a vaccination campaign in its ducks which resulted in many countries, including Canada and the United States, temporarily closing their markets to French poultry exports.
R5 - 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' policy and approach to control the disease when detected. Part of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's disease response measures includes timely depopulation, strong biosecurity, and proper disposal of birds exposed to the disease.

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.
R6 - Canada is currently exploring vaccination as potentially an additional tool against highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry. Available vaccines are currently not one hundred percent effective at preventing infection. Therefore, any use of highly pathogenic avian influenza vaccines in poultry needs to be accompanied by a robust surveillance system that will detect any infection in vaccinated birds.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is working closely with industry and the Government of Manitoba on a confined field trial that is proposed to be rolled out on two commercial poultry farms in Manitoba in 2026. This trial will help provide a roadmap for a wider vaccination campaign, should Canada decide to move in that direction, as well as start sensitizing our trading partners to the use of highly pathogenic avian influenza vaccines in Canadian poultry.

Avian influenza (Al) is a contagious viral infection that can affect several species of food, producing poultry as well as pets, wild birds, and mammals, including cattle. Al viruses can be classified into two categories based on the severity of the illness caused in poultry: low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) and high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI).

HPAI in Canada is a One Health issue. Several federal departments, and provincial and territorial governments, have mandates that require their action when HPAI is detected (e.g., Environment and Climate Change Canada when HPAI is detected in wildlife, or the Public Health Agency of Canada, when humans are exposed to or have contact with animals positive for HPAI). One Health recognizes the interconnections between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) responds to the presence of HPAI in small flocks, commercial and non-commercial farms with birds across Canada. The response helps eliminate and prevent the spread of HPAI in poultry while minimizing the impact of the disease on Canadians and international trade. CFIA's disease response measures include timely depopulation, strong biosecurity, and proper disposal of birds exposed to the disease.

Risk intelligence activities indicate that HPAI outbreaks are more likely to occur during wild bird migratory season, and outbreaks in poultry are more common in the fall than in the spring.

Canadian Infected Domestic Poultry Flocks to date
The table below demonstrates the number of current and previously historic affected farms. From December 2021 to January 26, 2026:
**These numbers represent both currently infected premises and previously infected premises (released premises)
Cumlative Affected Premises (farms) by Province: Alberta 112, British Columbia 278, Manitoba 32, New Brunswick 2, Newfoundland and Labrador 1, Nova Scotia 10, Prince Edward Island 1, Ontarion 72, Quebec 68, Saskatchewan 60.
Total 639
Number of poultry affected 17, 349, 207
Cattle
As with all avian influenza viruses for all species, there are mandatory reporting obligations when there is a suspicion of disease in 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 help 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 cattle.

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

• Since December 2021, highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in domestic poultry in all 10 provinces.
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is collaborating with provinces and industry to develop a highly pathogenic avian influenza vaccination field trial. This work will help inform a possible national vaccination strategy.
• The Government recognizes the challenge that the poultry industry faces. It is working with the poultry industry to help families and poultry farmers to maintain Canada's $1.2 billion dollar poultry and egg export market.
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's disease response aims to protect both public and animal health while working to minimize impacts on the $6.8 billion domestic poultry industry and the Canadian economy.