Latest news with #Pasitney
Metropolis Japan
27-05-2025
- Health
- Metropolis Japan
Othello Performance in Japan
From the small town B.C. farmer to United States' Department of Health and Human Services Secretary, the flock of those calling for a stop to the ordered killing of nearly 400 ostriches are growing daily. Universal Ostrich, a farm in Edgewood, B.C., has been making headlines since January 2025 when the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) ordered the cull of the entire flock of birds. The order is part of the CFIA's stamping out policy when an avian influenza outbreak is declared at a farm. "Canada's response has aimed to protect human and animal health and minimize impacts on the $6.8 billion domestic poultry industry and Canada's economy," the agency told The Morning Star May 27. "This supports Canadian families and poultry farmers whose livelihoods depend on maintaining international market access." The CFIA declared an H5N1 outbreak at Universal Ostrich on Dec. 31, 2024 and issued the cull order on Jan. 10, 2025. The farm has been fighting the order since, challenging the decision in federal court in April, which was turned down May 13. Justice Richard Zinn upheld CFIA's decision, but the farm is again back in the courts and filed an appeal May 26. "Which is fantastic but we are not safe," said Katie Pasitney, whose mom Karen Esperson and partner Dave Bilinski co-own Universal Ostrich. Pasitney is the spokesperson for the farm and explains that since the "outbreak," a total of 69 ostriches died in the initial weeks but the flock has since developed herd immunity. Universal Ostrich wants to work with the CFIA to use the antibodies the ostriches have developed to protect others. "It's all about saving our farmers, saving our food," said Pasitney. "Let's revamp these policies, let's bring science forward." The farm has been flooded with support from hundreds of other farmers, animal activists and Indigenous peoples who have camped out at the farm in recent days and weeks. Many politicians, both locally, provincially and in the U.S., are showing support, even Dr. Mehmet Oz. Oz is the latest U.S. health official seeking a stop to the killing. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. had a call with CFIA president Paul MacKinnon on May 22, along with Martin Makary, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner. The CFIA stands by its policies, citing a human case of H5N1 earlier this year and a number of human case in the U.S., including a fatality. "All highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses, particularly H5 and H7 viruses, have the potential to infect mammals, including humans. Allowing a domestic poultry flock known to be exposed to HPAI to remain alive allows a potential source of the virus to persist. It would increase the possibility of reassortment or mutation, particularly with birds raised in open pasture where there is ongoing exposure to wildlife." The Regional District of Central Kootenay also made a decision to not accept the ostriches at its landfills, pending testing of the birds. But the CFIA says it "has a duty to protect Canadians from the serious potential risks that avian influenza presents to our people and our economy." While compensation of up to $3,000 per ostrich could be awarded to Universal Ostrich, the CFIA says if an owner refuses to meet the depopulation requirements, the agency could move forward with depopulation itself, or use a third-party contractor. "This could mean withholding part or all compensation for the depopulation from the owners," CFIA said. "Depopulation can be a distressing outcome for an animal owner. When a depopulation is necessary, the CFIA provides an opportunity for all poultry farmers to develop the most appropriate plan based for their flock and facilities. CFIA veterinarians and inspectors work with poultry farmers to see that depopulation is completed humanely using internationally accepted methods. "We also provide guidance to producers throughout the process of depopulation, disposal, and cleaning and disinfection, so they can resume their operations as quickly as possible," said the agency.
Global News
17-05-2025
- Health
- Global News
Calls grow to test ostriches for avian flu before Edgewood, B.C. birds are culled
The Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) has joined a growing number of supporters in calling for more testing of nearly 400 ostriches before the entire flock is culled. On Thursday, the RDCK board unanimously passed a motion not to accept the carcasses of the birds until further testing is done to determine if they are carrying the avian flu virus. 'There has been an incredible amount of public outcry against this,' said Teresa Weatherhead, the regional district's director for electoral area K. Weatherhead said that the district has received hundreds of emails in support of the birds and further testing. 'This was the only realm of advocacy we could use to ask for that testing,' Weatherhead said, referring to the motion that had passed. An outbreak of avian flu on Universal Ostrich farm late last year led to the deaths of 69 ostriches, but the farm's owners say there has been no sign of illness among the remaining 399 for months. Story continues below advertisement The outbreak is believed to have come from a flock of ducks that migrated to the farm. The support has gained even more momentum since Tuesday's federal court decision in a judicial review, which upholds the cull order by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). 0:52 Canadian Food Inspection Agency ostrich cull upheld in federal court About 100 supporters are camping out on the ostrich farm in an effort to stop federal authorities from coming in and destroying the birds. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Thursday's regional district motion was unexpected but welcome by Katie Pasitney, the daughter of the farm's owners. Pasitney took to social media right after the motion was passed to update supporters. 'This is a win,' said a very emotional Pasitney. 'This is a big win for us, because the landfill is acknowledging that they will not accept our healthy, beautiful big birds.' Story continues below advertisement On Friday, Pasitney told Global News that despite the positive development, they are still facing an uphill battle. 'Our cull order is still on,' she said. 'We are working on a stay, an emergency stay and appeal, so we are very actively going after those angles.' 1:58 Health Matters: Officials in Canada and U.S. comparing avian flu strains of severe and fatal cases The ostriches are part of an international antibody research program, which ironically is working towards wiping out avian flu. The CFIA first ordered the cull in December 2024. It argues its 'stamping out' policy is necessary to control the spread of diseases, but has not revealed when the cull may take place. It would also not comment on the regional district's motion or whether it would consider more testing before conducting the cull as the CFIA did not respond to Global News' request for comment on Friday. Story continues below advertisement While hopeful for more testing, the regional district emphasized that and the cull are out of its control. 'It's not within our power as a local government to to have power over, obviously, a federal agency,' Weatherhead said. 'We have hope and we have optimism that there can be further testing but we certainly don't have any power over that.' The farm owners have stated repeatedly that the birds pose little risk because they don't fly nor are they used for meat.
National Observer
15-05-2025
- Health
- National Observer
A BC ostrich cull has brought out climate conspiracies — and RFK Jr.
Illustration by Ata Ojani/National Observer Keep climate a national priority — donate today Goal: $150k $39k Listen to article When dozens of Katie Pasitney's 400-odd ostriches got sick and started dying in mid-December, the Edgewood, BC farmer, who shares responsibility for the farm, never imagined that her herd would become a front in a far-right movement's battle to sow mistrust in government institutions and public health measures. Five months and 69 dead birds later, on May 13, Universal Ostrich Farm lost a months-long legal battle to stop the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) from culling the birds to prevent the spread of avian flu. The agency ordered the cull to curb an ongoing avian flu pandemic that killed more than 8.7 million domestic birds in BC since 2022. That's not how the decision was received. Supporters from around the world have donated tens of thousands of dollars to help cover the farm's legal fees. Conservative website Rebel News dedicated a campaign to the fight. On May 14, Conservative MP Scott Anderson visited the farm, posting on Facebook that he will be "formally asking the CFIA to hold off on the cull while we explore the possibility of saving the ostriches for further immunology research." The ostriches even got a public statement of support from US president Trump's vaccine-sceptic Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. After the court ruling, Pasitney invited supporters to flock to the farm and guard the birds against the imminent cull. Many showed up, sleeping in their vehicles on the property said Pasitney in a Facebook Live feed on Tuesday. People commenting on the livestream said they were planning to drive to the farm from as far afield as Edmonton, AB — roughly a 10-hour drive away. "It's been growing massive momentum," Pasitney said. "We're fighting for the lives of our agricultural sector and we're obviously trying to keep our animals alive in the process, to be able to use our research to help humanity." The ostriches are flightless and quarantined on the farm, but their story has soared. They've generated clicks and provided emotional content for the right-wing ecosystem of social media, podcasts and online content, simultaneously helping to fuel a movement that's threatening to undo generations of scientific and social progress. When dozens of Katie Pasitney's 400-odd ostriches started dying in mid-December, the Edgewood, BC farmer, never imagined that her herd would become a front in a far-right movement's battle to sow mow mistrust in government institutions. *** Pasitney's life was shaped by the birds. "You go out there and you see these big, majestic animals with the biggest eyes that you could ever imagine – you look at their eyes and you just see the world," she said. Her grandfather was the president of Alberta's ostrich association when she was young, with hope to create a market for the flightless birds' eggs and meat. That never materialized, but the familial passion for ostriches stuck. As other farmers ditched their birds, the family collected them for cheap to raise on the farm, she said. "We've loved those animals forever, but my mom saw the opportunity in the health benefits of these animals and she always told us kids growing up that these animals are going to do something amazing for humanity one day." About three years ago, the farm partnered with Japanese veterinarian Dr. Yasuhiro Tsukamoto, who made headlines in 2021 for creating a mask coated in ostrich COVID-19 antibodies that glowed under ultraviolet light if it encountered the virus. Encouraged by the findings, they started a company to produce so-called "nutraceuticals," like nasal sprays or lozenges, infused with ostrich antibodies against viruses like bird flu or COVID-19, she said. Dr. Tsukamoto did not respond to a request for comment emailed to Kyoto Prefectural University. Pasitney offered to share research backing up her claims about ostrich antibody-infused nutraceuticals with Canada's National Observer, but had not done so at time of publication. She also said that Dr. Tsukamoto is still partnering with the farm, but "knowing we've been in this place where the government isn't supporting us, he's been quiet." There is no evidence that nutraceuticals infused with ostrich antibodies protect people or animals from infectious disease, but shaky science aside, the farm was operating fine until Dec. 28, 2024, when the CFIA received an anonymous tip about dead ostriches on the farm. Commercial poultry farms must report any symptomatic birds to the agency immediately for testing within hours — which the ostrich farm didn't do. Two agency officials showed up on the farm two days later and collected samples from two of the recently deceased birds; those samples tested positive for H5N1 avian flu, and the farm was ordered to cull its entire herd by Feb. 1, 2025. Under Canada's infectious disease policy, officials can declare a poultry farm infected by a virus like avian flu if they find a single positive case of the virus. The disease is extremely infectious, with a 100 per cent mortality for chickens and about 52 per cent when it jumps to humans. Canada's rules align with international guidelines, which typically require poultry farmers to cull their entire herd and limit movement in and out of the farm if officials declare that a farm is infected, the CFIA wrote in a statement. But where the CFIA issued an order meant to protect public health, Pasitney saw a "sinister" attempt by the government — she believes acting on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry — to bury their research on ostrich immunity and antibodies. "We're contending … with Big Pharma, who wants us to be fully reliant on vaccinations," she said. "We have an opportunity here to see what would happen if we allowed the virus to burn out and allow it to just go through the flock like nature intends," she said in a Facebook Live video to supporters on May 13th. The farm tried to block the cull, applying for a rare genetics exemption, which Pasitney says they received on Jan. 2. She says it was revoked on Jan. 10. In a statement, the CFIA said it never granted Universal Ostrich Farms an exemption. The agency conducted an in-depth questionnaire about the farm, which is standard practice for all farms impacted by the avian flu. Officials asked about the "farm's claim of antibody research" because it was unique and "the CFIA wanted to have a complete understanding of their activities as part of the evaluation of the [cull] request." Pasitney and her co-farmers soon hired lawyers, obtaining an injunction against the cull on Jan. 31 while awaiting a judicial review of the order. Lee Turner, a lawyer based in Kelowna who represented Dr. Charles Hoffe, a BC doctor who faced allegations of spreading misinformation to patients about COVID-19, is part of the farm's legal team. (The body that investigated Hoffe, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC, dropped the investigation, citing the withdrawal of the COVID state of emergency.) The case was heard in mid-April. On May 13th, a federal judge threw out the case, allowing the cull to proceed. Meanwhile, outside the court, the ostrich herd galvanized a network of conservative activists, conspiracy theorists, anti-vaxxers and climate deniers with a pattern of using misinformation to undermine public health measures and climate action. "It's kind of been spreading like wildfire because people are picking up that we're not just fighting for the ostriches, but we're fighting for everybody," Pasitney said. "We've had a global response." On Jan. 22, BC Rising, a loose BC-based network of climate deniers and anti-vax advocates who successfully paused consultations on a regional climate action plan in the Kootenays in 2023, talked about the ostrich farm's situation on its weekly livestream Facebook gathering. The group hosted a web page to support the farm on the BC Rising website and used their Facebook meetings to offer updates about the court case. Several of those videos — some over two hours long — were hugely popular, and despite being more than two hours long, one had been played more than 25,000 times at the time of writing. The story was picked up by rightwing website Rebel News, which in January posted in support of the farm and directed readers to send letters of protest to federal officials. The website has continued to follow the story, posting eight standalone stories about the farm and including them in regular weekly updates. Drea Humphrey, the website's BC bureau chief, consistently posted about the story on X. The farm's decision to go public paid off financially: the farm's "Save our Ostriches" website has received $86,281 from over 750 donors to cover legal fees as of May 14. Pasitney believes the outpouring of support has come from because "a lot of people" are, like her, convinced government agencies like the CFIA are supporting efforts by big business to harm people. The CFIA doesn't want the farm to set a precedent where farmers "stand up and protect their animals," she said. "It does not just happen in Canada. This is something that is happening everywhere, and [we need] to protect our farms," she said. "It's overreach in its highest form." *** That narrative of government overreach and regulatory authoritarianism comes as no surprise for experts of the right's nebulous online presence, who see it fueling resistance to everything from climate action to vaccines. "The right has done this a lot," said Hanna Morris, a professor at the University of Toronto who studies climate and fascism. Far-right media will take real concerns about government agencies making decisions that impact historically marginalized communities people or communities, she says, and spin them to help people who have not faced the same kind of historic discrimination evade collective action — like a public health-motivated cull. "It's tapping into this method of weaponizing victimhood," she said. The conspiracy underlying Pasitney's claims emerged in the anti-lockdown and anti-vax movements that swept through Western countries during the pandemic, before fuelling a movement against so-called 15-minute cities — a planning concept that describes a walkable city — 2022 and 2023. Rightwing advocates wove it into the years-long Dutch farmer protests against climate measures, and opponents to Canada's proposed plan to reduce carbon emissions from nitrogen fertilizers also incorporated it into their battle. Tanner Mirrlees, a political economist at Ontario Tech University, wasn't surprised to see the fringe right embrace the ostriches' fate. "This is exactly the kind of emotionally charged human story that far-right populists and their propagandists love to glom onto and instrumentalize for their own political and ideological gain," he wrote in an email. "These far-right movements are masters of opportunism: they latch onto sympathetic, relatable, human-scale events — particularly those pitting ordinary working people against seemingly faceless government agencies — and reframe them to expand the reach of their conspiratorial ideologies. The goal isn't to protect animal welfare; it's to hijack the news cycle, grow their online presence and bring newbies into their fold." The CFIA's cull order is a "textbook example" of responsible, science-based action to prevent a larger public health crisis. No one "wakes up wanting to order the slaughter of ostriches. But no one wants to wake up to the emergence of a new variant of avian flu either," he said. The decision by rightwing media and online personalities to paint the situation as a battle between government and farmers is "irresponsible," he said, erasing the ethically and emotionally difficult work Canada's public health officials do to protect people and animals. Pushing back on that narrative is essential: it is possible to both hold empathy for the farmers and their ostriches and defend the legitimacy of public agencies, he said. Pasitney pushed back on Mirrlees's argument that interest in the farm by the far-right media and social media ecosystem is an example of populist opportunism. "No," she said. Everyone who has expressed support "see the bottom line picture to save the ostriches [and] save the science," with some hoping the birds can help protect animals and people from harmful infections. *** On May 13, a federal court judge tossed out Universal Ostrich Farm's judicial review on the basis the CFIA properly followed its policies and procedures, and allowed the CFIA to complete the cull. The farm must also cover $15,000 of CFIA legal fees. "We are heartbroken by this outcome and uncertain about the future of our farm. As we navigate this incredibly difficult time, we ask for patience and your continued support," read a post on the farm's Save our Ostriches Facebook page. Speaking with Canada's National Observer a day before the decision came out, Pasitney said part of the farm's anger with the CFIA lay in how the agency interacted with them. "There's never been a minute where they've come here and said: 'Look, we're really sorry. We understand how painful this will be,'" she said. "If there had been a level of compassion: asking about how we're feeling, helping us through the process, not confusing us, not giving us the wrong exemption package, not misleading us … it would have been a healthier dynamic." Farmers that immediately comply with the CFIA's request for a cull might get more empathy, she suggested, but because they "showed a bit of a fight and resistance," they've met "nothing but harassment" from the agency. In a statement, the CFIA said that its officials "understand the significant emotional and mental strain that producers face when their premises are infected with avian influenza." Every farmer is assigned a case officer, and all agency employees are expected to treat producers with empathy, the statement said. Still, "an empathetic response does not mean that the applicable disease control measures will be avoided." The CFIA has not said when it will cull the birds. However, Dan Elliott, communications coordinator for the Regional District of Central Kootenay confirmed by email that the provincial government granted it permission to dispose of the carcasses in the Ootischenia Landfill, "if the cull happens." In the meantime, the farmers are calling on supporters to come help them. In a Facebook Live dated May 13, Pasitney's mother, Karen Espersen, asked people to "come and surround our farm so [the] CFIA cannot kill these beautiful, healthy animals." The farm has a huge field for camping, a fire going and outhouses, added Pasitney in a separate livestream she filmed in selfie mode while walking around the farm. "If you do come, this is a peaceful, humble place of kindness and gratitude," she said. "We're just trying to make the biggest change with the most love. Thank you everybody." May 15th 2025 Marc Fawcett-Atkinson Journalist Keep reading An inside look at the plot to make climate denial mainstream By Marc Fawcett-Atkinson News September 19th 2023 I spent 3 days at Jordan Peterson's anti-climate ARC conference. Here's what I saw By Marc Fawcett-Atkinson Opinion March 10th 2025 The global network that ties Pierre Poilievre to Jordan Peterson By Marc Fawcett-Atkinson Analysis April 8th 2025 Share this article Share on Bluesky Share on LinkedIn Comments
Vancouver Sun
15-05-2025
- Health
- Vancouver Sun
Supporters converge on B.C. ostrich farm as federal food agency confirms cull of flock
Operators of a British Columbia ostrich farm where 400 birds have been ordered culled said Wednesday that dozens of supporters have converged on the scene, as the federal agency in charge of the operation confirmed it would begin the 'humane depopulation' of the animals. However, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said it would not publicize operational plans or dates of the cull at Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C. Wednesday's statement came a day after a Federal Court ruling that rejected the farm's bid to prevent the killings, which were ordered after an outbreak of avian flu. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'The CFIA will begin the humane depopulation and disposal of birds at the infected premises with veterinary oversight,' the agency said. The Regional District of Central Kootenay said it had already received provincial permission for its landfill in Castlegar, B.C., to handle the carcasses. Katie Pasitney, whose parents own the farm, said in an interview that the family will fight to save the ostriches through legal means, even as her mother called on supporters to surround the farm to prevent the cull. Pasitney said Wednesday that about 40 supporters had arrived. 'Banners, camping, their cars. We have some children staying here and a family … Everybody's just coming here to take the opportunity to see these prehistoric, beautiful, healthy animals with the bad decision of a cull order being reinstated and (the birds) being at jeopardy of losing their healthy lives.' Pasitney said they had received supportive calls and emails from across Canada and the United States, where the case has drawn attention. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a New York radio show last month he was 'horrified by the idea that they are going to kill these animals.' 'The reaction to the support has been completely overwhelming in a positive way,' Pasitney said. IMPORTANT- I JUST GOT WORD OF THE JUDGES RULING AGAINST UNIVERSAL OSTRICH FARM!!!! MAD AND SAD My heart goes out to you, Katie Pasitney, and your family. I'm not sure when the CFIA intends to do the cull, but it is devastating to possibly see another farm wiped out by outdated… In a video message posted on Facebook, Pasitney's mother, Karen Espersen, urged supporters to block the cull. 'We need people to come and surround our farm so CFIA cannot come kill these beautiful healthy animals,' she wrote alongside the video. 'You never thought you'd have this happen,' she said in the video while walking through her flock, with ostriches pecking at her sweater as she spoke. 'If we ever needed anybody's help, it's today. You see all these guys behind me? These beautiful, majestic birds, these are our pets. This is what the (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) says that they're going to come — they've been approved … to come kill them. 'We've taken years to be able to pet these guys, walk among these guys. We love these guys. They're all happy and healthy. If we don't stand for this … then what kind of world have we become?' A Federal Court judge on Tuesday rejected two judicial reviews filed by Universal Ostrich Farms after the agency ordered the flock killed in December, then denied a bid for an exemption in January. The family said the animals that survived the outbreak have recovered, having developed what Pasitney says is 'herd immunity' to the virus, making the birds more valuable to researchers alive than dead. 'We're 135 kilometres away from a major city, Vernon, British Columbia,' Pasitney said of the contamination risk posed by the family farm. 'We are not around any commercial poultry facilities. We are not a farm of consumption. So, how are we going to save the world by killing all of our animals, rather than using them as a potential benefit?' The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Wednesday defended its decision to proceed with the cull. 'Allowing a domestic poultry flock known to be exposed to highly pathogenic avian influenza to remain alive allows a potential source of the virus to persist,' the statement said. 'It would increase the possibility of reassortment or mutation, particularly with birds raised in open pasture where there is ongoing exposure to wildlife. 'This could also increase the human health risk.' Dan Elliott, a spokesman for the Regional District of Central Kootenay, said they received a landfill certificate to possibly handle the dead ostriches in January, adding the district has not received any information on when a possible cull would happen. 'In response to the need to manage avian influenza disease, the Regional District of Central Kootenay has received an operational certificate from the provincial Ministry of Environment and Parks to handle the disposal of the avian influenza infected waste if the culling of the ostriches goes ahead,' Elliott says. B.C. Premier David Eby said Wednesday at an unrelated news conference that the province had been frustrated by the actions of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and while they understand the need to contain the avian flu, there's a lack of ability to evaluate on a case-by-case basis. 'I hope the federal government looks very carefully at appropriate compensation to ensure they're made whole, not that that can fill in for the massive loss that they've seen,' Eby said. The Federal Court ruling said the family could be compensated up to $3,000 for each bird. An animal law advocacy group has urged the federal government to pause the cull and consider 'whether killing the birds still makes sense considering how much time has passed since the initial order was issued.' 'Avian flu is a devastating disease that must be taken seriously, but these ostriches shouldn't be forced to pay for the failures of a broken system,' says Kaitlyn Mitchell, director of legal advocacy with Animal Justice. 'Avian flu outbreaks are exacerbated by rampant factory farming, yet it's the individual birds who pay the ultimate price.' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Global News
13-05-2025
- Health
- Global News
400 ostriches on B.C. farm ordered to be culled due to avian flu concerns
The fate of 400 ostriches that live on a farm near Edgewood B.C. in the West Kootenay region has been decided. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has ordered the entire herd at Universal Ostrich Farm be culled following an avian flu outbreak in December. The outbreak is believed to have come from a flock of ducks that migrated to the farm. Nearly 70 ostriches died as a result of the outbreak. According to the farm owners, they lost about 10 per cent of their flock. At a judicial hearing last month, lawyers for Universal Ostrich Farm stated there has been no sign of illness at the farm since Jan. 15. Story continues below advertisement The CFIA's cull order had a deadline of Feb. 1, but farm owners challenged it and in January received a reprieve from a federal judge pending a judicial review of the case. 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 'We think CFIA basically applied a default position to these ostriches when they have been infected with a hybrid disease, not a typical HPAI virus,' said Kelowna-based lawyer Lee Turner in April. 'The policies were not properly followed or understood.' The case garnered widespread attention, with supporters calling on the government to review the way it handles outbreaks so that animals aren't unnecessarily killed. The ostriches are part of a program researching antibody production against the avian flu pandemic, which has been wiping out entire chicken farms. Turner said in April that losing the ostriches comes at cost, potentially a missed opportunity to find a cure for other birds infected by the disease. Story continues below advertisement 'They're learning a lot from their antibodies and their immune systems,' Turner told Global News. 'And so I think we would lose that. We would also have a dangerous precedent for other farmers and ranchers and I think it poses a real threat to the agricultural industry in Canada.' In addition to saving the ostriches, Pasitney said the fight is to prompt changes to government policies and implement other measures instead of only relying on a single and immediate 'stamping out' order. 'They're supposed to evolve and we just want to make the appropriate changes that would bring forth positive outcomes for others that are in the same fight,' Pasitney said.
