Latest news with #ostrichfarm
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Family that operates B.C. ostrich farm pushes back against CFIA claims
The family that operates an ostrich farm in British Columbia's interior is pushing back on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency., which is poised to cull around 400 birds at the farm due to avian flu. Katie Pasitney, whose parents own Universal Ostrich Farm in Edgewood, B.C., said during Facebook Live stream event Saturday night that the ordered cull is based on misinformation. The agency said on Friday the avian flu infection present at the farm is a mutation not seen anywhere else in Canada. Pasitney said during the livestream the CFIA is exaggerating the human health risks, noting it is not based in sound science. She also said that contrary to what the agency claims, there has not been widespread testing at the farm. While the CFIA has fined the farm $20,000, Pasitney said more information will be coming on Monday about what is happening at the farm and what has been shared with the federal agency. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2025. David Boles, The Canadian Press
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Ostriches at B.C. farm have version of avian flu not seen elsewhere in Canada: CFIA
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it has fined a B.C. ostrich farm $20,000, as the farm continues to defy a cull order. The type of avian flu infection present at a B.C. ostrich farm where a cull is planned is a mutation not seen elsewhere in Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said Friday. It said the version includes a genotype that has been associated with a human infection in a poultry worker in Ohio. The agency also said Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C., had been fined $20,000 for failing to co-operate with anti-avian flu measures. It said the farmers who are resisting a cull order have not substantiated claims of scientific research on the birds, and that the agency's planning for a cull of the birds goes on as protesters gather in an 'apparent attempt' to block the killings. The statement represents a rejection of the proposals of U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who wrote to the CFIA's president last week and called for the birds to be saved for joint research. Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is the administrator for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, also said the birds should be saved and offered to relocate them to his ranch in Florida. The agency said in its statement that it had issued two violation notices to the farm for failing to report illnesses and deaths among the flock last year, and failing to follow quarantine orders. 'The farm also failed to undertake appropriate biosecurity risk mitigation measures such as limiting wild bird access to the ostriches, controlling water flow from the quarantine zone to other parts of the farm, or improving fencing,' it said. 'These actions significantly increase the risk of disease transmission and reflect a disregard for regulatory compliance and animal health standards.' Katie Pasitney, whose parents own the farm, said in a brief interview that she was unsure whether the fines were a new move by the CFIA but 'nothing surprises me at this point.' Dozens of protesters have gathered at the farm for weeks. Their numbers were bolstered on Friday by the arrival of a convoy of at least a dozen vehicles, social media livestreams showed. Sixty-nine ostriches died in December and January during an avian flu outbreak. The farm owners have said that the surviving 400 or so birds have developed herd immunity and are a valuable resource for scientists. 'CFIA has not received any evidence of scientific research being done at the infected premises,' the agency said. 'Research documentation was not provided during the review of their request for exemption from the disposal order based on unique genetics or during the judicial review process. Further, the current physical facilities at their location are not suitable for controlled research activities or trials.' The farmers lost an attempt to halt the cull via judicial review when a Federal Court judge ruled on May 13 that the operation could proceed. An appeal against that ruling was lodged this week, but the farmers have not secured a stay of the cull order. 'Following the May 13 court ruling, the farm owners and supporters have been at the farm in an apparent attempt to prevent the CFIA from carrying out its operations at the infected premises,' the CFIA said Friday. 'This has delayed a timely and appropriate response to the (avian flu) infected premises, resulting in ongoing health risks to animals and humans.' It said given that the flock had 'multiple laboratory-confirmed cases of H5N1' and that there were ongoing serious risks for animal and human health, and trade, the CFIA 'continues planning for humane depopulation with veterinary oversight at the infected premises.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
CFIA fines B.C. ostrich farm and says cull will occur, rejecting U.S. intervention
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it has fined a British Columbia ostrich farm $20,000 for failing to co-operate with anti-avian flu measures, rebuffing interventions in the case by United States health officials. It said the farmers who are resisting a cull order have not substantiated claims of scientific research on the birds, and that the agency's planning for a cull of the birds goes on as protesters gather in an "apparent attempt" to block the killings. Friday's statement about Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C., represents a rejection of the proposals of U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who wrote to the CFIA's president last week and called for the birds to be saved for joint research. Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is the administrator for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, also said the birds should be saved and offered to relocate them to his ranch in Florida. The agency said in its statement that it had issued two violation notices to the farm for failing to report illnesses and deaths among the flock last year, and failing to follow quarantine orders. "The farm also failed to undertake appropriate biosecurity risk mitigation measures such as limiting wild bird access to the ostriches, controlling water flow from the quarantine zone to other parts of the farm, or improving fencing," it said. "These actions significantly increase the risk of disease transmission and reflect a disregard for regulatory compliance and animal health standards." Katie Pasitney, whose parents own the farm, said in a brief interview that she was unsure whether the fines were a new move by the CFIA but "nothing surprises me at this point." Dozens of protesters have gathered at the farm for weeks. Their numbers were bolstered on Friday by the arrival of a convoy of at least a dozen vehicles, social media livestreams showed. Sixty-nine ostriches died in December and January during an avian flu outbreak. The farm owners have said that the surviving 400 or so birds have developed herd immunity and are a valuable resource for scientists. "CFIA has not received any evidence of scientific research being done at the infected premises," the agency said. "Research documentation was not provided during the review of their request for exemption from the disposal order based on unique genetics or during the judicial review process. Further, the current physical facilities at their location are not suitable for controlled research activities or trials." The farmers lost an attempt to halt the cull via judicial review when a Federal Court judge ruled on May 13 that the operation could proceed. An appeal against that ruling was lodged this week, but the farmers have not secured a stay of the cull order. "Following the May 13 court ruling, the farm owners and supporters have been at the farm in an apparent attempt to prevent the CFIA from carrying out its operations at the infected premises," the CFIA said Friday. "This has delayed a timely and appropriate response to the (avian flu) infected premises, resulting in ongoing health risks to animals and humans." It said given that the flock had "multiple laboratory-confirmed cases of H5N1" and that there were ongoing serious risks for animal and human health, and trade, the CFIA "continues planning for humane depopulation with veterinary oversight at the infected premises." This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025. Canadian Press Staff, The Canadian Press
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Ostriches facing cull at Canada farm find allies in Trump officials
An ostrich farm in the Canada's British Columbia that is fighting to save 400 birds from a cull has caught the attention of Trump administration health officials Robert F Kennedy Jr and Dr Mehmet Oz. The farm had confirmed cases of the avian flu in December and January, though it says there have been no instances of the virus month a Canadian court upheld the cull decision by the nation's food inspection agency, which said killing the birds was necessary to prevent the virus from mutating in the exposed ostriches and to stop its spread. On Friday, Kennedy appealed directly to Canadian officials, urging them instead to consider studying the ostriches for bird flu antibodies. In a letter to Paul MacKinnon, president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), posted to X, the US Secretary of Health also offered full support of the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drugs Administration for diagnostic testing and research."The indiscriminate destruction of entire flocks without up-to-date testing and evaluation can have significant consequences, including the loss of valuable genetic stock that may help explain risk factors for H5N1 mortality," he letter was co-signed by Jay Bhattacharya and Martin Makary, heads of the two US recently, Dr Oz, the administrator for the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, offered to rehome the birds on his Florida ranch, a spokeswoman for the farm told CBC News. It's a proposal the farm has billionaire John Catsimatidis has also been a vocal advocate for the the farm is still trying to prevent the cull through the courts, Canadian officials have said they plan to move forward. "Allowing a domestic poultry flock known to be exposed to avian influenza to remain alive allows a potential source of the virus to persist," CFIA said this month."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."'Unprecedented': How bird flu became an animal pandemicWhat is bird flu and how worried should I be about a pandemic?Court records show Universal Ostrich Farms, based in the community of Edgewood, raises the birds for their meat and eggs and for antibody research. The farm says 398 ostriches face being killed. An exemption they sought from the cull was rejected earlier this year by the CFIA, which argued the birds did not meet the necessary criteria. The bird flu outbreak began on the farm last December and killed about 70 ostriches over two months, according to court is part of an ongoing outbreak in the US and Canada. About 14.5 million birds in Canada have been affected by the virus, according to the CFIA. Kennedy has a personal affinity for birds. He has previously spoken fondly about his love for falconry and about living with a pet emu named Toby. He also has two pet ravens.
CBC
21-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
RCMP speak to protesters at B.C. ostrich farm, warn of possible arrests as bird cull looms
Social Sharing RCMP visited a B.C. ostrich farm on Wednesday, where dozens of people have gathered to protest the ordered culling of 400 birds, which a federal judge ruled last week could go ahead. The farm's owners have been fighting the order from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) since December, when some of their birds first tested positive for avian flu. On Wednesday, four officers, some wearing uniforms identifying them as liaison officers, visited Universal Ostrich in Edgewood, B.C., while reporters from CBC/Radio-Canada were on site. The farm's owners, Karen Espersen and Dave Bilinski, listened to the officers from behind a fence, surrounded by a few dozen of their ostriches, while police spoke to Espersen's daughter Katie Pasitney, who has been acting as a spokesperson for the farm. About 20 protesters of the few dozen on site also gathered to speak to the police and livestream the conversation. WATCH | Protesters, RCMP visit Universal Ostrich: People gather at B.C. ostrich farm to protest order to cull flock of birds 1 hour ago Duration 2:52 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. The police told protesters and the farm's owners that they want whatever happens at the farm to be lawful and peaceful, with one officer saying that if protesters want to be arrested, police "don't want anyone to get hurt." The officer said they want people's right to protest respected, but if arrests begin, they want it to happen "peacefully." Pasitney, whose parents own the farm, told the officers in the meeting that lasted less than an hour that "people are on edge," as she asked police not to bring weapons onto the property. An unidentified officer was asked when the cull might happen but said he had "no idea." The CFIA has said it will be moving froward with the cull despite the local regional district passing a motion saying it will not accept the birds' carcasses at local landfills until the CFIA conducts more tests on the birds and makes those results public. Universal Ostrich says 69 of its birds died during an avian flu outbreak earlier this year, but argues the remainder are healthy and do not pose a risk. The CFIA, though, says it must kill all birds in infected flocks due to the risk of avian flu mutating and passing back and forth between domestic and wild bird populations, potentially impacting human health. "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." That position was upheld by a federal court judge last week who ruled the CFIA has the authority to make complex decisions based on scientific and economic priorities. The agency said Saturday that under the Health of Animals Act, if an owner refuses to meet the depopulation requirements the CFIA could move forward itself or use a third-party contractor and potentially withhold part or all compensation normally due to owners. The court decision says the farm could be compensated up to $3,000 per ostrich, potentially representing a payout of about $1.2 million if all of the roughly 400 birds are culled.
