Avian flu spreads to egg-laying farm in Langley

A poultry farm that was under quarantine because of a outbreak of avian influenza is pictured in Chilliwack, B.C. Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014. (Jonathan Hayward / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Officials have confirmed a Langley farm is the latest to hit by an avian flu outbreak that has already affected hundreds of thousands of birds in B.C.

The outbreak was discovered at an egg-laying farm in Langley. Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials say 53,000 birds at the unidentified farm were affected.

That pushes the total number of birds that are either dead or set to be euthanized to 233,800.

Previous outbreaks hit turkey and boiler-breeder farms in Abbotsford and Chilliwack, meaning the outbreak has spread west of the Fraser Valley since it was first discovered in Chilliwack on Dec. 1.

It is unclear where the virus originated but officials think migrating birds may be to blame for the rapid spread.