Four breeders are affected by avian flu in Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, approximately 90,000 turkeys have been euthanized.
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The source of contamination is still unknown at this time.
“Is it the winds, the flies, the insects? We’re looking at how avian flu spreads from site to site, but definitely, we’re not questioning the work of breeders on their biosecurity measures because we know they’re taking it. very seriously,” explains the president of the Poultry Breeders of Quebec, Pierre-Luc Leblanc.
Significant economic losses
This situation is of great concern to poultry farmers who will have to start their production from scratch, while a shortage of poults hits the industry. These are becoming rare as avian flu affects other farms elsewhere in North America.
“There are several hatcheries, not only in Quebec, but in the United States, in Ontario and in Western Canada that have been affected. People want to resume their production. So, want it, don’t want it creates a certain scarcity of poults,” says Mr. Leblanc.
This contamination also affects breeders in the area whose birds have not been infected since several sites in the region have been banned from restocking.
“I haven’t had a bird on my site for more than a month. I don’t have the stress at the breeding level, but it’s more stress at the financial level as the payments come in the same way, but we don’t know when we’re going to have income, “explains Luce Bélanger, a chicken producer from Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier.
Experts agree that it may be more difficult to get turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, in addition to being more expensive.