alexandra morton

Ground truthing the CFIA

In a very recent post on their website the CFIA states:

"Recent media coverage has suggested that the Agency changed its approach to managing ISA.

This is not the case."

But to the CBC reports:

"Patricia Ouellette, a regional program officer with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said the discoveries have caused inspectors to determine they can't erase the disease by having fish destroyed.

"At first, the focus was on eradication of the disease,” Ouellette said.

"We've shifted gears to preventing the spread of the disease and no longer consider eradication as an option."

On the CFIA website they have posted the Infectious Salmon Anemia Fact Sheet and state under the heading What measures can be taken to prevent the introduction and spread of infectious salmon anaemia?:

"wash your clothing thoroughly and dry it at a high temperature."

But on the new posting they say:

"Since ISA poses no risk to people, the CFIA allows fish from an affected facility to be processed under a CFIA-issued licence."

If you need to expose clothing to high-heat to clear it of the virus - how does that suggest it is OK to eat? To wash fillets in your sink?

CFIA Fact Sheet suggests you don't send waste through your sink - but instead:

"When cleaning and gutting finfish, dispose of all waste in your municipal garbage."

How many people are actually going to read this warning? How many watersheds are going to be put at risk?

The new CFIA statement on ISA says:

"Finally, the CFIA has received no indication from its US counterparts that processed fish will not be eligible for export. This product meets all requirements for export to the US, as there are no food safety issues associated with it."

But the Toronto Start reports:

"Because the U.S. won’t import fish with the virus, the fresh whole salmon, fillets and steaks will have to find dinner plates to land on somewhere in Canada."

When we detected ISA virus in BC the Provincial Minister of Agriculture said:

"...when ISA was first talked about from the lab in PEI. There were lawmakers and legislators both in the United States - various states - bordering British Columbia and in Asia who at that time were speculating and pushing for closing our market share."

Dr Kim Klotins (CFIA) testified under oath a the Cohen Commission:

"So if, let's say, we do find ISA in BC and all of a sudden markets are closed,..."

So do we believe the CFIA today, with a crisis on its hands, or do we believe the CFIA statements made under oath at the Cohen Commission and the statement by a Minister?

Tough choice.

Remember this is the gang that was involved in the XL Food Scandal where people died:

As reported in the Toronto Star:

A memo from a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) meat hygiene supervisor obtained by CTV News instructed CFIA inspectors to closely examine carcasses being processed for shipment to Japan, but to ignore visible contamination on meat for Canadians.

“Our number 1 priority is to ensure this standard is met with Japan eligible carcasses,” said the memo.

“Ensure that non-Japan-eligible carcasses are not inspected for spinal cord/dura mater, OCD (other carcass defects) and minor ingesta,” the note said. “Ignore them.”

This is despicable, ensure meat not going to Japan is not inspected for spinal cord splatter and fecal matter.

So how can we possibly believe the CFIA today? They don't agree with themselves? I can't, I am tracking viruses they say don't exist. We are either going to boycott the product and demand the licences of occupation be revoked or we are going to be eating salmon influenza along with spinal and fecal splatter in our meat. We are going to star as victims in this horror show!

ISA virus on your table - an act of desperation

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has declared 240,000 ISA virus-contaminated feedlot salmon are fit for Canadian consumption, while the U.S. rejects these diseased fish. Toronto Star

In the previous days, they reported giving up on culling the diseased fish, allowing them instead to be grown out in the ocean.

On the CFIA fact sheet regarding ISA virus they state:

Infectious Salmon Anaemia - Fact Sheet

Do not use finfish that were bought in a grocery store as bait for catching finfish or other aquatic animals.

When cleaning and gutting finfish, dispose of all waste in your municipal garbage.

Wash and disinfect the footwear you wore to the site or when you had contact with wild finfish. Also wash your clothing thoroughly and dry it at a high temperature.

If infectious salmon anaemia is found, the CFIA would control its spread by carrying out disease response activities. These may include
• controlling the movements of infected animals that people own or work with
• humanely destroying infected animals
• cleaning and disinfecting

No where does it say, put the fish in a truck, drive across Nova Scotia, process in a plant in New Brunswick and ship raw to supermarkets across Canada.

This has become a national incident:

CBC Power and Politics

http://halifax.mediacoop.ca/fr/story/remain-calm-and-keep-eating/11455

http://www.globalnews.ca/cfia+assures+no+risk+to+public+after+potentially+diseased+fish+go+to+market/6442800507/story.html

Is this a repeat of the XL Food Scandal where a CFIA memo instructed inspectors ignore visible fecal splatter on meat for Canadians, but not meat destined for Japan?

In the case of the influenza-type salmon virus ISA, Sobey’s supermarket has told the public they won’t sell ISA virus fish. However, Cooke Aquaculture says they don’t sort their product by ISA infection, so Sobey’s promise is an empty one. It would appear they have no idea what they are selling. Why would they assure the public the feedlot salmon is ISA-free?

The CFIA told the Toronto Star “there is strong scientific proof” that ISA virus poses no human health risk, but in a recent email from the CFIA they report only the lack of evidence as proof ISAv is not a human health threat. They don’t mention how many salmon feedlot workers were actually tested for ISA virus.

Had the CFIA ordered Cooke Aquaculture to cull the ISA virus infected fish at their Coffin Island site, Cooke Aquaculture would have received $7,200,000. Cook Aquaculture Inc. received a B3 “junk-bond” status - default rating by the New York-based Moody’s Investment Services earlier this week.

Cooke apparently owes the National Bank of Canada $350 million. The way I see it, this outbreak is being disposed of down the throats of Canadians paying to consume it because the company is desperate for money.

The CFIA, perhaps unable to keep shelling out $ millions, is now ignoring international protocol that calls for removing ISA virus infected fish from the ocean. “CFIA acknowledges that ISA wins”
FYI - any feedlot that dumps all its manure directly into the ocean, cannot describe itself as capable of anything approaching “quarantine.” Other countries do not compensate for Isa virus culls, it is considered a cost of doing business. You have ISA virus, you remove your fish from the ocean and dispose of them... but not in Canada.

The International Office of Epizootics is going to have to consider action against Canada for failure to follow protocol to protect other countries from a reportable influenza-type virus. The U.S. clearly does not want the virus to spread to Maine, they have rejected ISA virus infected product. However, the industry cannot survive without sales to the U.S. All of this adds up to bad judgment, an act desperation. The wholesomeness of Canadian food is not on the table anymore.

The CFIA is telling people not to use ISA-infected fish “that were bought in a grocery store as bait for catching finfish or other aquatic animals.” So don’t put it in a crab trap, because you could spread the disease. And “when cleaning and gutting finfish, dispose of all waste in your municipal garbage,” instead of down the sink’s garburator.
How many people buying the 240,000 salmon from an ISA virus positive feedlot will go to the CFIA website and read this? Does this half-hearted attempt serve some kind of duty to notify, while not actually doing anything meaningful to contain the pathogen? If you can’t put it in your crab trap do you really want to put it in your body? The CFIA must know the power of influenza viruses. By allowing Cook aquaculture to sell it, they are giving the ISA virus unprecedented access to the human body, where other influenzas exist.

How do we know the national chains that still sell feedlot salmon, like COSTCO, Superstore etc won’t bring the infected fish into BC? We don’t. While the CFIA refuses to acknowledge ISAv in BC, we will know if eastern Canadian feedlot salmon enter the markets here because the CFIA reported ISA HPR6 in eastern Canada to the OIE and only HPR5 and HPR7b have been detected in BC.

Of course, the CFIA still refuses to acknowledge ISA virus positive test results in salmon from BC by 7 labs, 4 of which are government labs, but when they finally have to accept it is in BC, we should be prepared to be treated to the newly emerging east coast policy - just leave ISA infected salmon in the ocean. The CFIA was on the verge of acknowledging ISAv in March 2012, in this Federal Fisheries email where my name is blanked out, but they never did. I am guessing the BC industry was not prepared to be designated ISA virus positive.

The BC salmon feedlot industry is mysteriously dwindling. Most of the salmon feedlots near Campbell River are now empty and others appear to be harvesting immature fish. We don’t know why they are emptying this area. When asked to clear these waters, dubbed the “Wild Salmon Narrows” by “53 conservation organizations as well as thousands of citizens from across BC support removal of all salmon farms along the Wild Salmon Narrows migration route, as an emergency measure...” – they said no.

These companies are posting quarterly losses, citing disease and a saturated market. 240,000 ISA- contaminated fish has become a national story in Canada. This industry appears to be a mess.

I cannot stress enough that this situation needs your voice to protect food safety and wild fish of Canada. Here are some options:

1 – In British Columbia, write or call you MLA hopeful now and tell them salmon feedlots need to get out of the ocean because the disease situation is increasingly out of control. In a flyer received yesterday, BC Liberal candidate “North Island Nick ‘Naturally” is posing on the Cyrus Rocks salmon feedlot.

He clearly has no idea what has gone on at this site (more on this later) and he likely has not examined that this industry does not make jobs. MLA hopefuls need to hear from you if you want wild salmon.

As the industry profits rose, the number of jobs remained between 1,500 and 2,000

Sport-fishing jobs far out-number salmon feedlot jobs, so protection of wild fish health should be a greater priority that feedlot jobs in the next election.

Tell the Premier of BC to stop renting the wild salmon migration routes to this industry.

2 – If you are a BC commercial fisherman please contact your union, the UFAWU has been in this fight since the beginning. Give them your support to get this industry away from the wild salmon.

3 – Globally – Sign the boycott of feedlot salmon. The supermarkets need to know your reaction to ISA virus contaminated fish. These fish are a bio-hazard and do not belong on the shelves with wholesome food products.

First Nation elder, Eddie Gardner “We’ve been fighting to get the feedlots removed from the waters for 20 years and not one feedlot has been removed yet. So we need to re-intensify our efforts.” Gardner says if stores like Walmart and Superstore take part in a boycott it might make a difference.

“The power of consumer choice is quite real. And if we can remove the demand, then maybe we can drive those open net feedlots out of the water.” http://www.starfm.com/2013/02/01/salmon-feedlot-boycott-in-chilliwack-today/
http://www.theprogress.com/news/187043451.html?mobile=true

3 – There is a lot happening on this issue, if you are so inclined all the news is being posted as it happens on the Salmon Are Sacred facebook page as well as via Twitter @salmonaresacred there are 3,879 members and an international conversation between the people on the frontlines.

4- Consider donating to this effort, we working from our kitchen tables.

or

Pacific Coast Wild Salmon Society
Box 399
Sointula, BC V0N 3E0
This is not a registered charity and so I cannot give you a tax-receipt.

The CFIA ALMOST released news that ISA virus is in BC

CFIA loses control of ISA virus in eastern Canada

Today a CBC article suggests the federal and provincial governments have lost control of the ISA virus in eastern Canada.

"At first, the focus was on eradication of the disease,” Ouellette said. [CFIA]

"We've shifted gears to preventing the spread of the disease and no longer consider eradication as an option."

This means they have lost control of this influenza-type salmon feedlot virus. This turn of events is predictable as it has occurred in almost every region salmon feedlots move into. Most recently it occurred in Chile in 2007, causing the industry $2 billion in losses. Chile has no wild salmon to lose. The pattern is always the same. At first the virus appears controllable, and the industry, wanting to make as much money as possible before it goes deadly, ignores the power of this influenza-type virus and they allow it to mutate into a deadly strain. Then it rips through the industry killing their fish with no attention paid to what is happening to the wild fish outside the feedlots. The trouble wild salmon feedlots is they cannot quarantine, they cannot keep their diseases in their pens because they dump all their raw sewage directly into the ocean through the nets. They never shovel their manure, it pours over the wild fish like a blizzard carried by the tides.

Ominously, the last four ISA virus reports made by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to the Office of International Epizootics (OIE) describe the virus found in the farm salmon as new strain never seen before.

09/02/2012 - Southern Nova Scotia - "Similar to HPR6 with an additional 4 amino acids missing (Sequencing of segment 6 was performed - pending) Emergency harvest, official destruction / disposal" virus isolation reverse transcription PCR positive

19/06/2012 - Newfoundland - "The strain of ISAV has not been reported in the Atlantic region before; it is believed to be a result of contact with infected wild species" entire farm depopulated, did not affect other feedlots in the area, no reporting on the name of this strain. Concurrent with BKD.

12/06/2012 - Nova Scotia Partial sequence of segment 6: HPR not classified; North American this strain has not been previously identified in the Atlantic region - emergency harvest, disinfection of infected premises - concurrent with BKD

26/11/2012 - Newfoundland - "The identified strain have not been reported before. The population is infected with at least 2 strains of ISAV (non-HPR0) one is most similar to HPR6, the other does not demonstrate any particulate similarity to any previously described HPR type" Both considered North American, hypothesized it came from wild finfish. Vaccinated against ISA, 3.8 kg concurrent with BKD and lice infestation.

Link to these reports:

Despite the spread of a new strain of virus, the federal government agency in charge of the virus in eastern Canada, and the provincial government in charge of the salmon feedlots have decided to:

"... to allow fish, which are positive for infectious salmon anemia, to remain for half a year in their cages and then to be transferred to a different province for processing, points to a change in CFIA policy."

Government has decided to leave a previously unknown strain of the highly-infectious salmon influenza - type virus, which appears to be killing farmed Atlantic salmon in the same ocean where people fish for food. Furthermore, this suggests the salmon coming out of eastern Canada will be ISA virus contaminated. I don't know why the CFIA is not more concerned about people eating a new mutation of feedlot - origin influenza virus.

There have been statements by Dr. Larry Hammell of PEI that this virus will not harm wild fish, but I am not sure if he has tested this new mutation in herring and Atlantic cod:

"This virus doesn't infect other fish species. It certainly doesn't affect other animals that are even cold-blooded and found in these local environments and certainly it's not going that huge next leap to mammals or humans."

This could be the end of salmon feedlots in eastern Canada. If they have a new and deadly strain of ISA virus running the length of the Maritimes, on top of the drug-resistant lice which will serve to help spread the virus and weaken salmon, they are going to have to figure out how to get the U.S. to buy this, and how to get Canadians to eat this.

As well, if Atlantic cod are valuable to anyone in eastern Canada, I think you need to look into this closely. It may be OK to leave millions of ISA virus infected salmon in the water, but it also might be the last bit of abuse thrown at them by the governments of Canada before they vanish once and for all.