The Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed Thursday that a bird flu strain has been found at a chicken farm in Saskatchewan and emphasized that it is not the much feared H5N1.

Canadian veterinary officials said Thursday the H7N3 strain of avian influenza had been identified on a Saskatchewan chicken farm and assured the public that, while the virus is harmful for poultry, it is generally not associated with human illness.

“We are not dealing with the H5N1 virus that has been linked to human illness in Asia and other parts of the world,” Sandra Stephens, a veterinarian with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, was quoted by Reuters Canada as saying.

The farm, located northwest of the provincial capital of Regina, has been quarantined by the CFIA. Nearly 50,000 chickens will be sacrificed in order to prevent a potential spread of the virus.

According to Reuters Canada, the CFIA will investigate the cause of the infection and will test birds within a 10 km radius of the farm.

The news agency also notes that Canadian livestock and grain markets will not suffer significantly from the finding, as most Canadian poultry is produced for the domestic market.

Canada has had previous experiences with bird flu. In 2004, an outbreak of bird flu in British Columbia led to the destruction of 16 million chickens, turkeys, ducks and pigeons.

One year later, British Columbia had a smaller outbreak that ended with the slaughtering of 60,000 fowl.

“The most important thing to note at this time is that the domestic poultry industry is safe and free from the H5N1 which has been associated with human illness,” Gerry Ritz, Canada's agriculture minister, said in a statement. He also stressed that the H7N3 strain that caused the Saskatchewan outbreak “is unlikely to cause human sickness.”

Canada has already informed the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) about the Saskatchewan case, as well as importers of Canadian poultry products, the United States and European Union, says Reuters Canada.