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Poultry
April 17, 2026
Bird flu: Canada wants to test vaccines in the field
Patricia Blackburn
Journalist
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is currently developing a field trial of vaccination against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in two poultry farms.
The plan is to conduct this trial in confined conditions, "in a laying hen farm and another turkey farm in Manitoba, because of their proximity to the laboratory of the National Centre for Exotic Animal Diseases, located in Winnipeg, where the birds can be transported more easily," summarized Dr. Manon Racicot, veterinary epidemiologist at the CFIA, during a conference presented at the annual general meeting of the Quebec Poultry Disease Control Team, in February.
“We want to go and test two vaccines directly on farms, and test the logistics. How will it work for surveillance? Will we be able to detect antibodies? Will there be a good immune response? We also want to take the animals that will be vaccinated to the reference laboratory in Winnipeg to infect them and see how they respond to the infection,” she explained.
The project will therefore take place on a small scale, but in a field context that includes all industry players, starting with the hatchery, which will be responsible for vaccinating the chicks, up to the international commercial partners, who will receive official communication and prior notice regarding the field trial.
One of the main challenges of a vaccination strategy remains the issue of traceability for vaccinated birds, required by trading partners, which implies increased monitoring of virus circulation among vaccinated birds. This significantly increases vaccination costs, Dr. Racicot indicated . The planned field trial will therefore provide information on traceability requirements for larger-scale vaccination and will help guide the industry should it eventually decide to pursue this path.
A welcome initiative
Egg Farmers of Canada welcomes the development of the Canadian vaccination strategy, which could potentially "provide the industry with an additional tool to combat the virus comprehensively," they told La Terre . The organization is part of a group of experts, farmers, veterinarians, and other stakeholders in the poultry value chain discussing the feasibility and logistics of the vaccination program.
The steps required to launch the field trial could still be lengthy, Dr. Racicot warned , due to their complexity, particularly regarding funding. In the meantime, she emphasized that as long as there is no rapid spread of avian influenza from farm to farm across the country, it is still more effective and cost-efficient to address biosecurity gaps at poultry farms than to launch a larger-scale vaccination campaign.
The CFIA also points out, in an emailed response, that no official decision has yet been made regarding Canada's vaccination strategy.
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Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Vaccination Task Force
The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Vaccination Task Force is dedicated to studying the challenges and opportunities for the development and implementation of an HPAI vaccination program.
This task force serves as a forum for discussion and information sharing that brings together insights from veterinarians, experts from academia, industry representatives and government representatives on issues relating to the potential use of vaccination against HPAI in Canada.
Background
The recent outbreak of H5N1 HPAI has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of millions of domestic and wild birds throughout the globe. HPAI has occurred in areas of the world where it had never occurred previously, such as countries in Central and South America. In Canada, millions of birds have been impacted since December 2021.
Canada has historically maintained a stamping out policy for HPAI with the goal of achieving disease eradication in poultry and a return to disease-free status. However, the scale and duration of this outbreak, along with international movements towards exploring the use of vaccination as an additional tool to fight against HPAI, has prompted Canada to take action.
In response, this task force was formed in June 2023 building on what has been done to date to bring government, experts and stakeholders together for discussion and consensus building regarding the potential use of vaccination against HPAI in Canada. The task force also informs the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) decision making process regarding the potential implementation of a vaccination program.
Topics of discussion
The task force is exploring whether Canada would benefit from a vaccination program. Topics of discussion include and are not limited to:
The task force is co-chaired by the CFIA and an industry representative.
Co-chairs
Members include industry representatives, veterinarians, academia experts and government representatives:
https://inspection.canada.ca/en/anim...za/vaccination
Poultry
April 17, 2026
Bird flu: Canada wants to test vaccines in the field
Patricia Blackburn
Journalist
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is currently developing a field trial of vaccination against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in two poultry farms.
The plan is to conduct this trial in confined conditions, "in a laying hen farm and another turkey farm in Manitoba, because of their proximity to the laboratory of the National Centre for Exotic Animal Diseases, located in Winnipeg, where the birds can be transported more easily," summarized Dr. Manon Racicot, veterinary epidemiologist at the CFIA, during a conference presented at the annual general meeting of the Quebec Poultry Disease Control Team, in February.
“We want to go and test two vaccines directly on farms, and test the logistics. How will it work for surveillance? Will we be able to detect antibodies? Will there be a good immune response? We also want to take the animals that will be vaccinated to the reference laboratory in Winnipeg to infect them and see how they respond to the infection,” she explained.
The project will therefore take place on a small scale, but in a field context that includes all industry players, starting with the hatchery, which will be responsible for vaccinating the chicks, up to the international commercial partners, who will receive official communication and prior notice regarding the field trial.
One of the main challenges of a vaccination strategy remains the issue of traceability for vaccinated birds, required by trading partners, which implies increased monitoring of virus circulation among vaccinated birds. This significantly increases vaccination costs, Dr. Racicot indicated . The planned field trial will therefore provide information on traceability requirements for larger-scale vaccination and will help guide the industry should it eventually decide to pursue this path.
A welcome initiative
Egg Farmers of Canada welcomes the development of the Canadian vaccination strategy, which could potentially "provide the industry with an additional tool to combat the virus comprehensively," they told La Terre . The organization is part of a group of experts, farmers, veterinarians, and other stakeholders in the poultry value chain discussing the feasibility and logistics of the vaccination program.
The steps required to launch the field trial could still be lengthy, Dr. Racicot warned , due to their complexity, particularly regarding funding. In the meantime, she emphasized that as long as there is no rapid spread of avian influenza from farm to farm across the country, it is still more effective and cost-efficient to address biosecurity gaps at poultry farms than to launch a larger-scale vaccination campaign.
The CFIA also points out, in an emailed response, that no official decision has yet been made regarding Canada's vaccination strategy.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Vaccination Task Force
The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Vaccination Task Force is dedicated to studying the challenges and opportunities for the development and implementation of an HPAI vaccination program.
This task force serves as a forum for discussion and information sharing that brings together insights from veterinarians, experts from academia, industry representatives and government representatives on issues relating to the potential use of vaccination against HPAI in Canada.
Background
The recent outbreak of H5N1 HPAI has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of millions of domestic and wild birds throughout the globe. HPAI has occurred in areas of the world where it had never occurred previously, such as countries in Central and South America. In Canada, millions of birds have been impacted since December 2021.
Canada has historically maintained a stamping out policy for HPAI with the goal of achieving disease eradication in poultry and a return to disease-free status. However, the scale and duration of this outbreak, along with international movements towards exploring the use of vaccination as an additional tool to fight against HPAI, has prompted Canada to take action.
In response, this task force was formed in June 2023 building on what has been done to date to bring government, experts and stakeholders together for discussion and consensus building regarding the potential use of vaccination against HPAI in Canada. The task force also informs the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) decision making process regarding the potential implementation of a vaccination program.
Topics of discussion
The task force is exploring whether Canada would benefit from a vaccination program. Topics of discussion include and are not limited to:
- availability of effective vaccines
- what vaccines are available, for which species
- implementation considerations
- logistics
- roles and responsibilities of government, industry and veterinarians in a roll-out
- approaches for surveillance
- requirements for differentiating infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA) methodology
- how to meet surveillance requirements set by key trading partners
- trade implications
- assessing potential trade implications that could result from vaccination, particularly for Canada's export markets
- identifying cost and benefits
- cost of vaccines per dose
- administration of vaccine
- surveillance
- assessment of economic costs and benefits to industry and government
- cost and responsibility sharing
- knowledge exchange and identifying data gaps
- international experiences/lessons learned
- results of field trials
- identifying Canadian-specific research needs
- any other considerations that may be relevant to the work of the task force
- identification of any challenges or barriers, opportunities, and lessons learned
- The HPAI Vaccination Task Force may inform:
- policies or strategies developed by the CFIA that would outline conditions for vaccination in Canada, including which species to vaccinate in which region(s) in the event of HPAI vaccination
- design and implementation of a potential vaccination program
The task force is co-chaired by the CFIA and an industry representative.
Co-chairs
- Dr. Mary Jane Ireland, Chief Veterinary Officer for Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
- Drew Black, Executive Director, Egg Farmers of Canada
Members include industry representatives, veterinarians, academia experts and government representatives:
- Agriculture and Agri-food Canada
- Animal Health Canada
- Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums
- Canadian Association of Poultry Veterinarians
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency
- Canadian Hatching Egg Producers
- Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council
- Canadian Poultry Genetics Exporters Association
- Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
- Chicken Farmers of Canada
- Egg Farmers of Canada
- Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Équipe québécoise de contrôle des maladies avicoles (EQCMA)
- Provinces and territories / Council of Chief Veterinary Officers
- Public Health Agency of Canada
- Representative of duck veterinarians
- Representatives of genetics / breeding sector
- Turkey Farmers of Canada
- University of Guelph
https://inspection.canada.ca/en/anim...za/vaccination