Canadian Food Inspection Agency finds rare disease at B.C. commercial pigeon premises

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. The agency says it has uncovered a case of Newcastle disease at a commercial pigeon operation in Chilliwack, B.C. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Canada’s food inspection agency says it has uncovered a case of Newcastle disease at a commercial pigeon operation in Chilliwack, B.C., requiring the birds to be culled and the premises to be disinfected.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the virus affects both wild and domestic birds and can cause pink eye in humans.

It says the ailment is of great concern to the world’s agricultural community since it’s highly contagious and threatens poultry.

The agency says mild strains affect domestic poultry and pigeons and more severe strains can kill chickens.

It says Newcastle disease can decrease egg production in domestic birds and cause high numbers of sudden deaths in a flock, while wild birds can develop wing paralysis and be left unable to fly.

It says the risk to humans is low if gloves are worn while handling infected birds, and that the disease was rarely found to kill wild birds before 1990.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025.