Severe flooding in 2021 shut down a veterinary facility providing disease testing of livestock and testing of milk supplies
New diagnostic facilities are planned to help British Columbia’s farmers. They will replace facilities near Abbotsford that were severely damaged by 2021 floods.
The new Plant and Animal Health Centre will provide diagnostic services that will support producers, as well as food safety and public health, said B.C. Agriculture Minister Pam Alexis in an email.
“The new centre will be designed to increase the capacity of services offered to B.C.’s agricultural and veterinary sectors as well as the public, including disease and virus diagnosis in wild and domestic birds, mammals, fish, reptiles and amphibians as well as hundreds of different plant pests and diseases.”
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Flooding and landslides forced B.C. to declare a state of emergency Nov. 17, 2021. More than 1,100 farmers were under evacuation order or alert during the disaster, which killed thousands of animals ranging from poultry to dairy cows.
Some of the worst flooding took place in the Sumas Prairie area near Abbotsford. The basement of the current Animal Health Centre was flooded, damaging mechanical systems and forcing the building’s closure.
It meant shutting down one of the leading veterinary facilities in Western Canada, affecting things such as disease testing of livestock and testing of milk supplies in B.C. It is one of only three laboratories in Canada accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians.
Samples had to be rerouted to other laboratories in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, increasing the response time for testing. The centre began accepting blood, serum and milk samples for serotology on March 21, 2022.
Although the facility has since returned to nearly full operations and services, it is at risk of future flooding, said a provincial statement. It employs more than 40 scientists who do fee-for-service testing ranging from molecular diagnostics and virology to bacteriology, pathology and serology.
They handle more than 6,000 case submissions per year while diagnosing, monitoring and assisting in controlling and preventing diseases such as West Nile virus and avian influenza. The new facility will also include diagnostic services for plant health problems affecting crops that are currently being conducted by the Plant Health Laboratory, which also develops and validates new tests or methods.
The new Plant and Animal Health Centre will in the Fraser Valley at a yet to be determined location, said the statement.
Besides building on the current model, the centre will include partnerships with public health agencies and academic institutions, said Alexis.
“The business plan is anticipated to be complete in late 2023 and will identify potential locations for capacity growth for the centre, as well as opportunities for additional supporting locations with specialized services in other parts of the province.”
