Ostrich cull order temporarily paused at Edgewood, B.C. farm as owners head to court
An ostrich farm in Edgewood, B.C., has received a temporary reprieve from the federal government, pausing the planned culling of nearly 400 birds.
Universal Ostrich Farm has been fighting a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) order ever since an avian flu outbreak last year threatened to wipe out its entire flock.
The stay was issued on June 20, 2025, by the Hon. Justice Roussel of the Federal Court of Appeal. It temporarily halts the CFIA's implementation of its disposal order while the farm appeals a previous decision that dismissed its application for judicial review. The appeal is set to proceed on an expedited basis, with hearings scheduled for July.
Katie Pasitney, whose parents own the farm, calls the decision a critical victory.
'It's an absolutely amazing relief,' she said.
Story continues below advertisement
'We wouldn't have been identified as a recovered flock if we hadn't pushed this hard to save them. We're one of the only recovered flocks in Canada. There's a lot to gain from our ostriches standing here, rather than being eliminated.'
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
The CFIA, however, maintains its actions have been legally and scientifically justified. The agency stated the original cull order was issued in line with the Health of Animals Act, after the CFIA's National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on the farm.
The CFIA says it isolated the H5N1 virus from samples taken at the site, and genome sequencing revealed a novel viral reassortment not seen elsewhere in Canada.
2:09
B.C. ostrich farm in defiance of cull order
Despite Pasitney's calls for additional testing to prove the flock no longer poses a threat, the Federal Court of Appeal has denied the farm's request to conduct independent tests.
Story continues below advertisement
According to the CFIA, there is already a robust national and international regulatory framework for testing zoonotic pathogens, and additional tests would not change the outcome. The agency emphasized that 'stamping-out' — the rapid depopulation of infected flocks — is the globally recognized strategy for containing HPAI, protecting public health, and maintaining international trade access, which is vital for Canada's $1.75 billion poultry export industry.
Still, Pasitney argues the birds have developed herd immunity and could be useful for scientific research.
'We want to be part of the solution — not continued culling,' she said. 'That's going to be an important message as we move forward to Ottawa. We're gaining momentum, and farmers are contacting us saying they want to see a better Canada.'
The farm has also faced enforcement issues. The CFIA claims Universal Ostrich Farm has not complied with quarantine requirements laid out under the Health of Animals Act and warns that further non-compliance could lead to additional enforcement action.
At the same time, the farm is disputing $20,000 in federal fines related to alleged violations of the Act.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
12 hours ago
- Global News
Central Okanagan MLAs renew calls for health minister to visit Kelowna hospital amid crisis
B.C.'s health minister is again being called on to visit Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) amid an ongoing pediatric crisis. The calls are being renewed by local Conservative MLAs, Gavin Dew (Kelowna-Mission), Kristina Loewen (Kelowna Centre) and Macklin McCall (West Kelowna-Peachland). 'It is ridiculously irresponsible that this far in the crisis, minister of health Josie Osborne has not yet showed up once,' Dew said. 'She has never set foot in Kelowna General Hospital.' The trio held a news conference outside of KGH Monday afternoon to address the ongoing pediatric ward closure, which has now entered a fifth week. The 10-bed pediatric unit closed on May 26 as Interior Health (IH) struggles to retain an adequate number of pediatricians working at the hospital. IH has said it was a difficult but necessary decision to close the ward for at least six weeks to protect pediatrician coverage for critical services, such as high-risk deliveries. Story continues below advertisement 2:01 Kelowna General Hospital pediatrics ward closure update All three MLAs told reporters they are being inundated with messages from concerned constituents. 'Our MLA office emails are lighting up,' Loewen said. 'It's constant, it's the number one issue right now.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Macklin added he's even hearing from people outside of the Okanagan Valley. 'I've even had conversations with people that tell me this hospital will take people from as far as a way as you know, the East Kootenays,' Macklin said. 'I mean, this is a major hospital for British Columbia.' 3:18 Kelowna General Hospital pediatric unit's troubled history When the opposition party first called on Osborne to visit KGH and frontline staff last week, the minister stated 'politicizing this issue was not constructive.' Story continues below advertisement At Monday's news conference, Macklin fired back. 'The response from the ministry is just, 'oh, well, it's political.' So what does that mean? They don't want to talk about it,' Macklin asked. 'We're working for our constituents. We're working for the public and I think perhaps the NDP government are losing that view that it's about the people. It's not about us. It's not about party lines.' Osborne has not yet committed to a visit to the hospital. 'I'm certainly open to that and will be making the best decisions about timing and when to do that,' Osborne told Global News on June 18. Dew said if a crisis isn't enough to get the minister here, he doesn't know what is. 'The minister says she'll come here when the time is right, the right time was yesterday,' Dew said. A number of doctors have expressed to Global News they would welcome a visit from Osborne. 2:09 Interior Health executive compensation despite ongoing issues at KGH Global News reached out to the ministry Monday for an update on a potential visit, but a spokesperson followed up, asking, 'Wondering if you can share with us what groups of doctors are asking for the Minister to talk to them?' Story continues below advertisement Dew said the ministry should be focusing on the crisis itself and not which doctors would welcome a visit from the minister. 'This is absolutely ridiculous and absurd for the ministry to be more focused on hunting down the doctors who are speaking up than actually rebuilding confidence and trust with them,' Dew said. Pediatricians have long called for changes to the current staffing model that often has one pediatrician on shift at a time. Felling unheard over the years, many have resigned from the hospital, which has now resulted in the current crisis. IH said last week it hopes to reopen the pediatric ward as soon as it is safe and feasible to do so but won't say when that will be. The health authority said one pediatrician is starting work at the hospital this summer with two more in September, adding that those extra resources will help build towards the ward reopening.
Global News
13 hours ago
- Global News
Ostrich cull order temporarily paused at Edgewood, B.C. farm as owners head to court
An ostrich farm in Edgewood, B.C., has received a temporary reprieve from the federal government, pausing the planned culling of nearly 400 birds. Universal Ostrich Farm has been fighting a Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) order ever since an avian flu outbreak last year threatened to wipe out its entire flock. The stay was issued on June 20, 2025, by the Hon. Justice Roussel of the Federal Court of Appeal. It temporarily halts the CFIA's implementation of its disposal order while the farm appeals a previous decision that dismissed its application for judicial review. The appeal is set to proceed on an expedited basis, with hearings scheduled for July. Katie Pasitney, whose parents own the farm, calls the decision a critical victory. 'It's an absolutely amazing relief,' she said. Story continues below advertisement 'We wouldn't have been identified as a recovered flock if we hadn't pushed this hard to save them. We're one of the only recovered flocks in Canada. There's a lot to gain from our ostriches standing here, rather than being eliminated.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The CFIA, however, maintains its actions have been legally and scientifically justified. The agency stated the original cull order was issued in line with the Health of Animals Act, after the CFIA's National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on the farm. The CFIA says it isolated the H5N1 virus from samples taken at the site, and genome sequencing revealed a novel viral reassortment not seen elsewhere in Canada. 2:09 B.C. ostrich farm in defiance of cull order Despite Pasitney's calls for additional testing to prove the flock no longer poses a threat, the Federal Court of Appeal has denied the farm's request to conduct independent tests. Story continues below advertisement According to the CFIA, there is already a robust national and international regulatory framework for testing zoonotic pathogens, and additional tests would not change the outcome. The agency emphasized that 'stamping-out' — the rapid depopulation of infected flocks — is the globally recognized strategy for containing HPAI, protecting public health, and maintaining international trade access, which is vital for Canada's $1.75 billion poultry export industry. Still, Pasitney argues the birds have developed herd immunity and could be useful for scientific research. 'We want to be part of the solution — not continued culling,' she said. 'That's going to be an important message as we move forward to Ottawa. We're gaining momentum, and farmers are contacting us saying they want to see a better Canada.' The farm has also faced enforcement issues. The CFIA claims Universal Ostrich Farm has not complied with quarantine requirements laid out under the Health of Animals Act and warns that further non-compliance could lead to additional enforcement action. At the same time, the farm is disputing $20,000 in federal fines related to alleged violations of the Act.
Canada News.Net
3 days ago
- Canada News.Net
Bird flu-free: Brazil begins talks to reopen export markets
SAO PAULO, Brazil: Brazil is taking confident steps to restore its dominance in global poultry exports after declaring its commercial chicken farms free of bird flu. The declaration, made by the agriculture ministry on Wednesday, follows a critical 28-day waiting period with no new outbreaks. The Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture said this week that the world's largest poultry exporter has declared itself free of the bird flu virus in commercial flocks after observing a 28-day period without any new commercial farm outbreaks. The countdown to reclaiming the country's disease-free status began on May 22, following the complete disinfection of the farm in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where Brazil's only commercial outbreak was detected last month. Under existing trade protocols, China and other importers banned chicken imports from Brazil, which accounts for 39% of global chicken trade, pending measures to control the disease and prevent its entry into other commercial chicken facilities. Brazil aims to resume chicken exports with its trade partners, but that will require talks with each one, Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro said in a statement. Earlier, a Rio Grande do Sul state official had said Brazil had taken all the steps under health protocols to once again declare itself free of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus. Reclaiming Brazil's status as free HPAI is not automatic and must be confirmed by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), according to the body's guidelines. Brazil's first outbreak hit a chicken breeder farm in the town of Montenegro, where 17,000 birds were culled.
