The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said that a poultry plant in Perth County, Ontario, that halted production due to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) concerns has resumed operations.
The agency said it has been responding to a situation where on December 13, the presence of HPAI was confirmed in poultry delivered to the plant, following testing that took place as a result of CFIA inspectors observing a high mortality during antemortem inspection.
“Control measures, such as movement restrictions, the cessation of processing activities were immediately put into place and cleaning and disinfection were completed. As such, operations resumed on Monday, December 19, 2022,” CFIA stated. “Slaughter and processing facilities are able to return to normal operations upon successful completion of cleaning and disinfection.”
The Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) agency also responded to the situation, but neither agency would reveal the name of the plant, citing concerns about confidentiality.
However, the London Free Press identified the facility as one that was operated by Sofina Foods.
In a statement issued to the Free Press, Sofina Foods said: “On Dec. 13, a flock of turkeys was delivered to our processing facility in Mitchell. A small number of the turkeys tested positive for avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1. This was an isolated incident based on one delivery of birds from an independent, third-party farm. Sofina took immediate action and has been working with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Huron Perth public health to ensure the safety of our people, the public and our products.”
Sofina Foods, according to the WATTPoultry.com Top Poultry Companies Database, operates in the chicken and turkey industries. Its poultry-related brands include Cuddy Food Products, Lilydale and Janes Family Foods.
To learn more about HPAI cases in commercial poultry flocks in the United States and Canada, see an interactive map on WATTPoultry.com.
Read our ongoing coverage of the global avian influenza outbreak.
