Avian Influenza waste

BHT 

Biological heat treatment (BHT) is the initial stages of composting where temperatures are high enough to deactivate the avian influenza virus.

It's the first of a 3-step process:

• BHT
• On-farm storage
• Land application

BHT must be completed to make sure the virus is inactive. It must be done before the waste leaves the infected premise for further storage or land application.

The treatment can be done inside a barn or at another location on your site, including outdoors. Requirements vary depending on where you complete the treatment.

In-barn BHT

• BHT In Barn Protocol (PDF, 262KB)

Out-of-barn BHT

Out-of-barn BHT is generally considered of higher risk to the environment because it happens outdoors, and without the weather protection and containment provided by a barn.

Learn more about BHT:

• BHT Out of Barn Protocol (PDF, 272KB)

Storage

After you complete the BHT, the waste needs at least 21 days in storage for it to mature. At this stage, the material is not mature enough for a land application.

Review the Post-BHT Storage and Land Application Guidance (PDF, 183KB).

This additional storage of the post-BHT material can happen:

• Outdoors on the infected premises
• At another location such as a farm

It must not be carried out:

• In any area in where there is standing water or water-saturated soil
• On any low-lying area of a field prone to annual seasonal flooding, during the flood season or when flooding is imminent
• On coarse-textured soil
• Within 30 metres of any watercourse or any source of water used for domestic purposes
• To allow effluent and leachate from the stored composted poultry pile to enter surface water thru overland flow

In high-precipitation areas, the post-BHT material pile must be covered with an impermeable liner or roof from October 1 to March 31 of the next year.

High-precipitation areas include:

• The Lower Mainland
• Fraser Valley
• Vancouver Island.

Additionally, the AEM Code does not allow nutrients to be land applied during winter months in high precipitation areas unless specific requirements including preparing a risk assessment report can be met. 

To learn more, please review:

• The AEM Code 
• The High Precipitation Areas Map

Land application

Land application requirements vary depending on the site and circumstances. 

Review the Post-BHT Storage and Land Application Guidance (PDF, 183KB).

In most cases, this type of on-farm management would be authorized through Section 80 of the AEM Code.

Section 80 allows the director to impose additional requirements.

If you do not already have this direction, contact the ministry for guidance.

Contact info

Email ENVMOWA@gov.bc.ca for guidance.

Taking infected carcasses to the landfill is an option for smaller quantities of wastes where other disposal options are not available. In some cases, it's also an option for larger quantities of waste.

Contact the landfill to determine whether the landfill can accept avian flu waste.

If the landfill operator has not done so already, they'll need a specific ministry authorization to accept these wastes.

On-farm burial is an option for disposing of small quantities of avian influenza waste.

Quantities less than 5 tonnes

The AEM Code outlines requirements for burial of quantities less that 5 tonnes.

Since this waste is hazardous, additional requirements apply.

To find out the additional requirements, review the Small Flock Burial Guidance (PDF, 254KB).

Quantities more than 5 tonnes

For burial of quantities more than 5 tonnes, the ministry needs to issue a site-specific authorization. The 5 tonne requirements would not apply.

Contact the ministry for more information.

Contact info

Email ENVMOWA@gov.bc.ca for guidance.