| |
OTTAWA: About 500 Canadian pigs in quarantine since the H1N1 flu virus was detected at their Alberta, Canada farm have been put down, provincial authorities said Saturday.
"A limited cull of animals has eased overcrowding conditions at a quarantined central Alberta pig farm where 2009 Influenza A(H1N1) virus was found to have infected a herd of 2,200 animals on April 28," said Gerald Hauer, the chief provincial veterinarian.
"This was not a disease-ordered cull. This decision was made as a result of joint discussions between the producer, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and federal and provincial animal health officials as the best course of action for the welfare of the herd," he stressed.
The rest of the herd remains under quarantine, he said.
"We support this decision as a responsible animal welfare measure," Hauer said. "This is not a human health issue. It addresses the inevitability of overcrowding while this farm remains under quarantine."
The number of cases of H1N1 flu confirmed in Canada rose to 281 on Saturday, after the country's first A(H1N1) death was reported a day earlier in Alberta province.
- AFP/yt
|
