smiles 0 #1 April 6, 2004 I live in the Fraser Valley- Abbotsford B.C. Canada where the kill of about 19 million chickens and turkeys is happening in a bid to wipe out contagious avian flu. The explanation is "to stop the spread of this disease and to stamp it out" the best way to get the industry back on track. What I do not understand is why or how the affected area is sweeping. Regardless of government tightened bio-security measures, the contagion spread beyond a 10-kilometre hot zone (where my home d.z. is located) that was created around the first affected farms in Abbotsford where 400,000 birds had already been ordered slaughtered. The hot zone is now extending from Greater Vancouver to Hope, a two-hour drive east, north to the mountains and south to the U.S. border. This is going to be devastating for the poultry industry. A representative sample of birds from each flock will be tested for avian flu and contaminated flocks will be destroyed while those that are virus-free will be slaughtered for food????????? The B.C. poultry industry says it generates more than $1 billion a year for the provincial economy and employs more than 5,000 people. Eighty per cent of B.C.'s poultry products come from the Fraser Valley. The CFIA announced two workers who dealt with the birds caught mild forms of the H7 avian flu that is not considered a threat to humans and have recovered. I prefer to now land in the peas rather than swooping thru the grass---and not eat or handle any chicken or easter sunday turkey lurkey. SMiles Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites