Latest news with #avianflu
CTV News
6 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Bird flu: Tensions build in B.C. village as court decision on ostrich cull nears
Hundreds of ostriches in B.C. that are staring down a government death sentence now have a powerful ally. Judy Trinh explains. Hundreds of ostriches in B.C. that are staring down a government death sentence now have a powerful ally. Judy Trinh explains. The frustration inside the Royal Canadian Legion hung as heavy as the suffocating summer heat. Dozens had come to give their side of a global controversy on whether to cull a flock of ostriches that survived a life-threatening virus. More than two dozen people, representing a tenth of the population of the village of Edgewood, B.C., had gathered after word spread that CTV News was visiting. For several weeks, a handful of residents had emailed to voice frustration about the 'unfair' coverage of Universal Ostrich Farm's (UOF) legal battle against a culling order issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency after avian flu was detected in its flock last December. The residents said their health and safety concerns have been ignored in the months since the outbreak, while media across the globe from the New York Times to the BBC had turned UOF's ostriches into a cause-célèbre. Yet the residents were unwilling to go on the record, citing fears of harassment and intimidation. UOF had gained high powered support from the Trump administration, an American billionaire and closer to home - the former leaders of the Freedom Convoy such as Pat King and Tamara Lich. Earlier in July, Lich helped organize a fundraising concert for UOF and even took to the stage in Edgewood to sing 'Keep on Rockin' in the Free World.' Canada bird flu news A flock of ostriches in B.C. is on death row after members of the heard contracted avian flu. (Jeff McDonald, CTV News) Testing vs. termination Universal Ostrich spokesperson Katie Pasitney says they're not just trying to get about 400 birds off death row but also standing up for other farmers by challenging a government policy that is inflexible and inhumane. While the CFIA argues the mass euthanization is the most effective way to control the outbreak and prevent the spread of a pathogenic virus that has killed birds, spread to animals and even humans. Pasitney wants to stave off the death sentences by getting the right to test and monitor the ostriches to show they are now healthy. As the legal challenge reached the Federal Court of Appeal in Ottawa, CTV News decided to visit Edgewood to get a better sense of the rising tensions in the village of 235 people. One resident suggested meeting at the legion but insisted she didn't want to be filmed. When CTV News arrived at the blue and white shingled building on Tuesday, 26 people were waiting inside. They were beef producers and retired plumbers, paramedics, bus drivers and barbers. Some were neighbors who lived next to the ostrich farm. The group decided they would all speak out together. Showing their strength in numbers as news cameras rolled. Canada bird flu: Ostrich cull This photo shows 26 Edgewood, B.C. residents who spoke out against the Universal Ostrich Farm's challenge of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's cull order. (Judy Trinh, CTV News) Speaking out in solidarity Lois Wood who baked cookies and squares for the group, raised her hand to speak. She's retired, owns horses and lives alone next to UOF. To get home, Wood has to drive down Langille road, the same rocky lane that goes by the ostrich farm and a cluster of tents and trailers that have popped up across from it. It's a camp of strangers, gathered to protest CFIA's cull order. Some have been in Edgewood for months. Wood says the strangers had previously set up a checkpoint at the turnoff to the road. Other residents said the protesters asked for names and took photos of license plates. 'Edgewood is not about violence,' said Wood, who added he's worried confrontation with protesters will lead to clashes. 'If CFIA comes – they want to do everything they can to stop them.' A few weeks ago, Wood watched as the protesters blocked access to the farm by parking their vehicles horizontally across the lane and cutting off tree branches to lay across the road when a rumour spread that inspectors were moving in. 'They've got nothing to do with this,' said Jim McFarlane. He and his wife Millie are beef farmers and angry that, despite being ordered to quarantine their property, UOF has allowed dozens of protesters on to their property. The couple are worried their cattle could be impacted as the legal fight drags beyond seven months. In Canada, h5N1 has been detected in wild animals like foxes, skunks and raccoons. Pet dogs and cats have also caught the virus. In the U.S., dairy cows have been infected. Even if their cattle are healthy, the McFarlanes say the perception of a lingering disease could impact their income. 'Our (cattle) prices could be knocked down because of the potential of avian flu in cattle, because it can happen,' said Millie. The couple live a ten-minute drive across the village from Universal Ostrich Farm, but worry about fallout. 'It's like living next to Chernobyl,' Millie said referring to the Ukrainian nuclear reactor explosion that released radioactive material into the air. CFIA support Across the room from the McFarlanes, retiree Crystal Michaud chimed in about supporting the government inspectors. 'CFIA is protecting Canadians and Canadian agriculture,' said Michaud. 'UOF is putting us on a slippery slope. They're setting up precedents by overturning Canada's regulations for local, national and international trade. They are putting other people at risk.' Chicken farms in the region have been ordered to tighten their biosecurity measures to guard against the spread of H5N1 virus. Some countries such as Mexico, Japan and Taiwan have banned poultry products from B.C. because of the presence of avian flu. On its website, CFIA states that as long 'as the ostrich farm remains a confirmed infected premises, the entire British Columbia poultry sector is not able to access certain export markets.' B.C. bird flu cases An ostrich looks on at a farm slated for a cull after members of the flock contracted avian flu. Ostrich research According to court documents, UOF stopped selling ostrich meat in 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it entered into an agreement with a Japanese scientist from Kyoto to research antibodies. The work involved injecting the ostriches with COVID-19 antigens to create antibodies in the birds, then extracting the proteins from the eggs. The ostriches are kept in open air pens. There are a few wooden structures on the property and a metal corral shelter with heavy plastic sheeting that was torn and coming off the frame. The Edgewood residents are skeptical UOF facilities are conducive to scientific research. More than a dozen people told CTV News they saw worrisome practices at UOF in the weeks before and shortly after an avian flu outbreak was declared. They described seeing eagles and ravens picking at ostrich carcasses. They shared video of purported ostrich bones littered in the fields. And one neighbor said the farm's owners buried dead ostriches on his property near the creek that runs across the village. 'Hearsay and false' claims After the meeting, CTV visited Universal Ostrich Farm to get a response to the concerns of Edgewood residents. A two-metre-high sign emblazoned with the words 'Stop the Murder of 399 Ostriches' leans against a rusted dump truck marked the entrance of the farm. Protesters playing the role of volunteer security guards led us to the brown house on the property to interview farm spokesperson Katie Pasitney. When confronted with the neighbours' accounts of rotting ostrich carcasses, Pasitney said it was 'hearsay and false,' and insisted the farm was well managed. 'If we really believed that these animals were going to put our whole community at risk, we would have done something about it. She said that complaint could be coming from a 'neighbour who was disgruntled.' To prevent the spread of disease, poultry producers are supposed to report dead birds. CFIA detected H5N1 at the farm last December after receiving an anonymous tip about dead ostriches. And in May, CFIA fined UOF co-owners Dave Bilinski and Karen Esperson $20,000 for failing to cooperate with anti-avian flu bio security measures and not adhering to quarantine orders. Pasitney also dismissed concerns about harassment and intimidation. 'Everybody who has come here to support this farm has been nothing but kind.' She said they've picked people up for rides, helped residents do yard work and supported the local store. Pasitney said UOF's legal challenge is about more than just saving the birds. It's also about countering government overreach 'It's for food security, for better ways … changing policy and fixing fractured and flawed systems and coming together.' But other Edgewater residents like retired bus driver, Jim McKee says he wants the government to protect him from what UOF is doing. 'Government overreach is such a overused cliché. If it isn't the government to regulate and protect – whose job is it?' Meanwhile the CIFA says its continuing with its plan to enforce the cull order. The Federal Court of Appeal is expected to release its decision any day now. Edgewood residents hope the matter will be resolved quickly and peacefully but are also bracing for a possible confrontation if there is a surge in protesters.
Wall Street Journal
2 days ago
- Health
- Wall Street Journal
A Canadian Ostrich Culling Sparks an International Storm
Edgewood, British Columbia is normally a sleepy settlement of retirees. Lately, it's become the front line in a battle between the Canadian government and a coalition of animal rights activists, Christian evangelists and populists who have recruited U.S. health officials Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Mehmet Oz to their cause. It's all because of Universal Ostrich Farm, located on the edge of this remote 235-person community northeast of Vancouver. The Canadian government is trying to euthanize roughly 400 ostriches that are penned here, after 69 of the flightless birds died in December and January and two tested positive for a variant of H5N1 avian flu virus. The owners of the flock and a group of activists are rallying to stop the cull.
CBC
3 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Can RFK Jr. save B.C.'s death row ostriches?
A New York City billionaire and conservative talk radio host. Two of the most vocally antivax members of Donald Trump's administration. Protesters associated with the "Freedom Convoy" that occupied downtown Ottawa in 2022. What do they have in common? They all want to save a herd of more than 400 ostriches on a small farm in rural British Columbia. Earlier this year, Universal Ostrich Farms was ordered to cull their remaining birds after an outbreak of avian flu killed dozens of them. But the farm has been fighting the government's order in court, claiming the ostriches' antibodies are crucial for research into alternatives to traditional vaccines. Marc Fawcett-Atkinson, a reporter with Canada's National Observer, explains why the farm's story has spread so widely through the right-wing media ecosystem, finding so much synergy with vaccine skepticism, climate denial, and other conspiracy theories about shadowy bids for global control.
Daily Mail
18-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Swans are back on the Thames! Numbers of beloved Royal birds shoot up after worrying dip
The number of swans on the River Thames has begun to go up again after a worrying dip, according to an annual survey. The traditional five-day count known as swan upping found 115 young birds this year, compared to just 86 in 2024. There has been a worrying decline in the numbers of the beloved royal birds in recent years - with the drop blamed on avian flu and human cruelty. But the new figures released by the King's swan marker, David Barber, this week suggest the 45 per fall over the past two years has been reversed. However, the numbers are still down on the 155 swans that were counted in 2022. Mr Barber said according to The Henley Standard: 'So far it has been very positive. 'It's an improvement on last year because we've had the bird flu for a few years and that seems to have died out on the Thames now and the breeding pairs suffered badly and now it seems quite good so I'm pleased with it. 'Last year was the lowest number we've had for years and years and years and since I've been doing it and that was only 86 cygnets [across the whole bird count].' Swan upping is the annual census of the swan population and the ceremony is used to count the number of young cygnets, check their health and ensure numbers are maintained. The 'swan uppers' use traditional rowing skiffs for their five-day journey each year upstream along the River Thames to Abingdon Bridge in Oxfordshire. The ceremony dates back to the 12th century, when the ownership of all unmarked mute swans in Britain was claimed by the Crown in order to ensure a ready supply for feasts. The focus is now on conservation and education, with local primary school children invited to Q&A sessions throughout the week. In particular, Mr Barber wants the event to discourage young people from mistreating swans. Recently there have been incidents reported of people shooting the royal birds with catapults and air guns. Swan upping has also become a popular spectacle with crowds gathering along the banks of the River Thames.
BBC News
18-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Royal swan count on Thames sees numbers resurface after dip
Swan numbers have begun to recover on the Thames, after a couple of years of worrying decline, according to an annual royal survey of swans.A five-day search along the Thames, completed on Friday, found 115 young swans, rather than 86 last year, showing signs that the disappearance of swans could be beginning to be traditional count is called "swan upping", but in recent years it has been more like swan downing, with numbers plunging because of avian flu and human cruelty, including reports of swans being attacked by catapults and air the new figures released by the King's swan marker, David Barber, show a more optimistic picture, after a 45% fall over the past two years. The tradition of swan upping sees six boats sailing from Sunbury Lock in west London to Abingdon Bridge in Oxfordshire, with the "swan uppers" counting, weighing and giving a health check to young swans found along the annual event has also become a popular spectacle, with crowds gathering along the riverbank in the sunshine to watch the boats go past, with their colourful flags and crews in ceremonial outfits. The fall in swan numbers had threatened to make the classic image of swans on the Thames an increasingly rare the swan uppers have more more positive news about the swan population and will be hoping a corner has been turned. Although it's still down on the 155 counted in the outset of the trip, Mr Barber said he was hoping that avian flu had "eased off", after an impact on the swan population that had been "quite disastrous"."Fortunately, there has been a decrease in reported cases of the disease in the River Thames area in recent months," said the King's swan marker. With a swan's feather in his cap and wearing a scarlet jacket, Mr Barber spoke of the risks to swans nesting on the said their search found swans needing to be cleaned from pollution such as engine oil. Fishing tackle was a longstanding problem and there were attacks from dogs and vandalism from upping dates back to the 12th Century and was once about counting royal property - with the monarch having ownership of unmarked mute swans swimming on open is now more about conservation and education, involving schools along the route and helping to teach young people to respect and protect particular Mr Barber wants to discourage young people from the mistreatment of swans - such as shooting them with catapults, which he says causes terrible figures so far show a more hopeful picture for swans on the Thames. Sign up here to get the latest royal stories and analysis every week with our Royal Watch newsletter. Those outside the UK can sign up here.
