Bird flu in Canada: B.C. farmers devasted [Video]

For Mark Siemens, one of the worst things is the smell.

“It’s the smell of really feeling like you’ve just lost everything. You can’t escape it right now.”

• What to know about bird flu, poultry and dairy farms

The third generation farmer in B.C.’s Fraser Valley is still grappling with what started as a disturbing discovery on Halloween and has now ended with the loss of his entire 45,000-bird flock.

“I went to check on my barn and saw that there were a few birds that had itchy eyes and looked a bit uncomfortable,” Siemens said.

Hours later, the worst was confirmed. “As a farmer, those hours feel like forever. The birds really deteriorate quickly, you see their health decline, and you also know that virus is getting shed outside your barn to potentially affect your neighbours.”

The sick birds tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian …