Mike Bose含羞草研究社檚 Medomist turkey farm has been smote by avian flu, with roughly 18,000 birds dead by the Surrey city councillor含羞草研究社檚 estimate.

Signs of infection began to show on Nov. 16, the farm sent samples to the government the following morning, they were declared positive for the flu and then all the protocols and restrictions 含羞草研究社� 含羞草研究社渓ife going to hell,含羞草研究社� as Bose puts it, began.

He had two flocks, with one of them a week from market. 含羞草研究社淭hey came in on the Monday to euthanize the birds,含羞草研究社� he recalled. 含羞草研究社淥n the Monday when they showed up there was 100 per cent mortality, and then they had to euthanize the three-week old flock in the same building, just the opposite end, and then you go through the process.含羞草研究社�

That involved composting, washing the barn inside and out floor to ceiling, disinfecting all the equipment and waterlines inside and out.

The farm passed its final disinfection inspection two weeks ago, Bose said. 含羞草研究社淲e lost just shy of 18,000 (birds).含羞草研究社�

Half of them died and half had to be destroyed.

Bose is part owner and manager of the farm, at 5948 156 Street.

His next flock is coming on Feb. 21, having cleared its 14-day vacancy on Feb. 7 and being released from all obligations to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency 含羞草研究社渁nd back to farming as normal.

含羞草研究社淏ut it含羞草研究社檚 been three months of hell,含羞草研究社� Bose said.

As far as as he knows, his is the only turkey farm in Surrey to be hit with the flu. 含羞草研究社淲e含羞草研究社檝e just finished 60 years of raising turkeys and that is the first major outbreak of anything we含羞草研究社檝e ever had. We含羞草研究社檝e had other minor and illnesses that we could solve very easy on our own. This is the very first time, and it含羞草研究社檚 the first time it含羞草研究社檚 actually affected anyone in Surrey. We含羞草研究社檝e never even been in a protect zone before, we含羞草研究社檝e always been the anomaly.含羞草研究社�

Bose said that on Nov. 10, about a week before the farm was infected, a windstorm knocked the power out and the drainage pumps weren含羞草研究社檛 running. With heavy rain, water pooled in the fields 含羞草研究社渨hich quickly filled up with wild birds, ducks and geese, and that wind was blowing through the barn.

含羞草研究社淲ind blowing across wild birds into a barn, not a good combination.含羞草研究社�

The financial hit, he said, is 含羞草研究社渉uge. It含羞草研究社檚 got a lot of zeroes in it, a lot of zeroes.含羞草研究社�

There is government compensation and insurance to help with that, but these take time to apply for and collect. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 a very painful process.

含羞草研究社淭he one thing I have said through the process, and everybody has a lot of negative things to say about the federal government and agencies, and especially the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. For me, CFI have been absolutely amazing and at the darkest moments, it was my case officer that helped me get through it and get through all the things we had to do and get accomplished so to me that was very, very important. They were extremely helpful.含羞草研究社�