A farmer of free-range poultry on Prince Edward Island is upset that officials have suggested birds should be kept indoors to prevent the spread of avian flu.

"I think because we have a couple of goslings that got sick up west with avian flu, it would be a shame if they decide to, you know, impose some kind of real strict rules on P.E.I.," said Raymond Loo, who raises free-range poultry in Queens County.

Loo was responding to comments from Dr. Jim Clark, who heads up the avian influenza working group for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Clark said the discovery of H5 virus in West Prince last week is a good lesson for anyone who keeps poultry. Poutry, he said, should be kept in a locked-down barn, with strict rules on who goes in and out.

"You should be maintaining your flock under strict biosecurity standards," said Clark.

"We know that there's the potential for an H5 virus to be there in that environment. That means you have some concerns about the potential for your flock to become infected."

Loo, however, believes keeping his flock outside produces a healthier product, and said consumers should have the option of deciding what kind of poultry they want to buy.

"Certainly from a health perspective of people eating them, the birds raised outdoors are more healthy and better," Loo said.

The H5 avian influenza virus was found in a backyard flock of poultry in West Prince. Four goslings out of a flock of 40 were infected. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is currently testing the birds to find out the exact strain of flu they carried. While it is H5, officials do not believe it is the deadly H5N1 that has been infecting birds in Asia.

CFIA expects more details results on the dead goslings late this week.

It's not known how many Islanders keep poultry in their backyards.