Canada has confirmed its first highly pathogenic avian influenza case in a commercial poultry flock this year, ending a brief period without new detections in commercial operations.
Looking back at 2025, multiple provinces experienced commercial flock infections. British Columbia reported the highest number with 31 affected flocks, followed by Alberta with 16, Ontario with 15, Manitoba with 7, Saskatchewan with 6, and Quebec with 7.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency verified the presence of the virus on January 15 in Les-Jardins-de-Napierville, Quebec. No details were released regarding the species of poultry affected or the number of birds involved.
This detection follows a series of cases reported late last year. The most recent commercial infection before 2026 occurred on December 30 in North Perth, Ontario, while Quebec last reported a commercial flock infection on December 12 in La Haute-Yamaska.
Although this is the first commercial case of the year, HPAI has already been identified in two non-commercial flocks in 2026, one located in Quebec and the other in British Columbia. These cases are not expected to disrupt international poultry trade under World Organisation for Animal Health guidelines.
