Latest news with #ostrichcull
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
B.C. ostriches set for cull have avian flu infection not seen elsewhere in Canada, agency says
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency plans to move ahead with a plan to cull ostriches in British Columbia, citing the birds have a genetic composition of avian influenza associated with a human infection in Ohio. The CFIA said in a statement released late Friday evening its National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease identified the current infection in the ostriches with a 'novel reassortment' not otherwise seen in Canada. 'This assortment includes the D1.3 genotype, which has been associated with a human infection in a poultry worker in Ohio,' the agency said. 'A human case of H5N1 in BC earlier this year required critical care, and an extended hospital stay for the patient, and there have been a number of human cases in the United States, including a fatality.' Ostriches that live at the Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, a remote community in B.C., are now the subject of international attention, including from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services who takes issue with the CFIA's plans to kill the nearly 400 birds. The ostriches have also garnered other forms of support in the U.S., such as from billionaire John Catsimatidis and Dr. Oz, an American TV physician who now runs medicare in U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. Dr. Oz offered to provide sanctuary to the birds at his Florida ranch but the farm owners would like to keep the birds in Canada. Last December, an outbreak began at the farm that killed 69 ostriches. In January, the CFIA said the rest of the flock would be 'depopulated.' This spring, the farm has challenged the agency in court. Earlier this month, the Federal Court determined the CFIA acted reasonably in its cull decision. The farm's owners filed an appeal this week. B.C. owners of ostriches condemned because of avian flu outbreak seek new legal challenge The CFIA said Friday that after the court made its ruling on May 13, farm owners and supporters have made an 'apparent attempt to prevent the CFIA from carrying out its operations at the infected premises.' It also says this has delayed a timely and appropriate response to the premises infected with the avian influenza, resulting in 'ongoing risks to animals and humans.' 'Given that the flock has had multiple laboratory-confirmed cases of H5N1 and the ongoing serious risks for animal and human health, and trade, the CFIA continues planning for humane depopulation with veterinary oversight at the infected premises,' it said. The agency also said Universal Ostrich Farm has not co-operated with requirements set out under the federal Health of Animals Act. It claims that it failed to report initial cases of illness and deaths to the CFIA and it did not adhere to quarantine orders. The farm was issued two notices of violations with a penalty totaling $20,000, the agency said. The farm has not yet responded to the CFIA's statement. On Thursday, Katie Pasitney, a spokesperson for the farm who is the daughter of an owner, told The Globe and Mail about 50 supporters have gathered at the site daily who are rallying to save the animals. A convoy of supporters plan to travel to the farm site this weekend, she added. Supporters who made visits to the farm this week include a 13-year-old teenager from Fraser Valley, B.C., and her parents. She was diagnosed with Canada's first domestically acquired case of avian flu in November, although it is still not known how she caught the virus. The teen was discharged from BC Children's Hospital in early January after fighting for her life. Her visit to the farm was the first time she made a public appearance since becoming ill.
CBC
24-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Protesters join B.C. ostrich farmers to fight order to cull flock
Demonstrators are gathering at Universal Ostrich farm in Edgewood, B.C., to protest a federal order to cull a flock of nearly 400 after two ostriches tested positive for avian flu in December. The farm lost a court challenge against the cull order last week.
CBC
21-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
People gather at B.C. ostrich farm to protest order to cull flock of birds
The remote community of Edgewood, B.C., finds itself at the heart of a dispute. Demonstrators began gathering this weekend at Universal Ostrich farm, to protest the order to cull a flock of 400 ostriches. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency ordered the cull because two dead birds tested positive for the avian flu in December. This all comes after the farm lost a court case last week on May 13th, seeking to overturn the order. Radio-Canada reporter Camille Vernet reports from the farm where protesters from across Western Canada have set up camp
CBC
18-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
CFIA says B.C. ostrich cull will go ahead despite regional district refusing to accept the carcasses
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says it is going ahead with a cull of nearly 400 ostriches living in southeastern B.C. over fears of avian flu. It doubled down on its decision on Saturday, despite the local regional district passing a motion earlier this week saying it will not accept the birds' carcasses at local landfills after they are killed until the CFIA conducts more tests on the birds and makes those results public. The federal agency told CBC News it's aware of the motion. "The CFIA will begin the humane depopulation and disposal of birds at the infected premises with veterinary oversight. Operational plans and dates will not be shared with the public in advance," the CFIA said in a statement. "We have a duty to protect Canadians from the serious potential risks that avian influenza presents to our people and our economy." Community rallies for birds The owners of Universal Ostrich Farm had been fighting the cull order in court but a federal judge recently ruled that the CFIA can proceed. Katie Pasitney, spokesperson for the farm owned by her parents, said she's disappointed with the CFIA's decision and wants the agency to retest the birds. "We can prove to you we pose no public health and safety risk," she said in an interview Sunday. "There's a family sitting here trying to do the right thing. We put our feet on the ground every morning. We pray, we open our hearts that there's hope that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency would revisit their [decision]." The order to have the birds killed has attracted the attention of hundreds of supporters, who have made monetary donations to the farm's legal fund and held rallies in favour of saving the ostriches. The owners of Universal Ostrich, in Edgewood in southeastern B.C., argue the birds that have survived the outbreak are happy and healthy and could provide valuable insight into fighting the disease. The farm said a total of 69 ostriches are reported to have been killed by avian flu but it said the last death came in January and in the time since none of the remaining birds have been exhibiting symptoms of disease. A number of supporters have gathered at the farm in anticipation of a standoff with the CFIA. Videos and photos posted on social media show dozens of people, tents, caravans and vehicles on the property, with flags and banners draped on fences. Premier 'frustrated' with CFIA B.C. Premier David Eby also weighed in on the matter on Wednesday, saying he was "frustrated" that the CFIA won't make decisions on a case-by-case basis. More than 8.7 million birds have been culled in B.C. at hundreds of farms, most of them commercial, since the first outbreak of a highly contagious form of the avian flu in the spring of 2022. The cull at Universal Ostrich was first ordered on Dec. 31, 2024, after avian flu was detected in several birds at the farm. But the farm managed to stave off that cull through a court injunction that allowed both sides to make their case before a federal judge in April. Though Federal Court Justice Russel Zinn wrote that he has "considerable sympathy" for the farmers, he also found that the CFIA ordered the cull after following proper procedure and its mandate to attempt to stop the spread of the deadly bird virus.
Globe and Mail
16-05-2025
- Health
- Globe and Mail
Rural B.C. officials receive ‘gratitude' over landfill resolution before ostrich cull
A member of a British Columbia regional district says a decision not to allow the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to dispose of ostrich carcasses in its landfills pending further testing of the birds has been met with 'gratitude.' The Regional District of Central Kootenay board resolved 'to withhold acceptance, at any landfill' of ostrich carcasses from a farm in Edgewood, B.C., where as many as 400 ostriches are expected to be culled over exposure to the avian flu. The board resolution says the landfill acceptance hinges on further testing by either the Canadian Food Inspection Agency or the Ministry of Agriculture, until the number of birds infected or exposed to the virus is confirmed. Aidan McLaren-Caux, a board vice-chair with the regional district, says the resolution's 'intentions are difficult to capture,' because it passed as written Thursday after an emotional meeting with supporters of the farm opposed to the planned cull. McLaren-Caux says regional officials received hundreds of emails before the meeting and the rationale behind the landfill resolution was to possibly give the farmers and ostriches 'a reprieve from the cull order,' which was upheld by a Federal Court judge this week. He says the district has no authority over federal decisions, but it does have power over regional waste management, and given how the motion is worded, he believes any positive test for bird flu would mean 'our landfill would have to accept animals that had been culled.' He said the ostrich farm's plight has brought an 'extraordinary amount of attention' to the region in southeastern British Columbia. 'A lot of the attention has come from elsewhere, so other parts of the province, and the country, and even international,' he said. 'The people who are supporting the farm have definitely taken advantage of kind of the viral nature of social media and YouTube and all the things to get support and support from even far away. 'It's definitely a topic of conversation at coffee shops,' McLaren-Caux said. Dozens of people heeded the call of the farm's owners to converge upon the property, about 575 kilometres southeast of Vancouver, to stop the Canadian Food Inspection Agency from moving ahead with cull of the flock of ostriches.
