Canada purchases 500,000 human H5N1 vaccine doses

Canada purchased half a million doses of a human vaccine for high path avian flu. It is an effort to keep health risks at bay.

Last week an outbreak was reported in a backyard layer poultry farm in Canada.
One infectious disease expert warns with so many cases of seasonal flu popping up, it is likely the two viruses could mix. That would ultimately create a new virus.

According to Matthew Miller, “That process is how all prior flu pandemics, that we’re aware of in the past, have started. Two different influenza viruses infect one host. The avian flu might maintain the severe disease that it causes but gain the ability to spread well between humans the way that seasonal flu can.”

Canada’s Public Health Agency says that risks to the public are still low, but they warn that it is best to stay away from poultry flocks this flu season.

Related Stories
Improving consumer confidence supports baseline food and fuel demand, but cautious spending limits upside potential for ag markets in 2026.
Read the full press release published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
A look at the legislative year ahead as lawmakers return to Washington with a slate of trade concerns to tackle in 2026—from new Chinese tariffs on beef imports to the USMCA review this summer.
Farmer Bridge Assistance payments provide immediate balance-sheet support heading into 2026, but remain a short-term bridge rather than a substitute for long-term market recovery.
The New Year is here, but in Oregon, some ranchers and livestock producers are still trying to recover from record wildfires back in 2024.