B.C. ostriches won't 'necessarily' be killed, says Canada's agriculture minister

Andrew Kurjata · CBC News

· Posted: May 28, 2025 3:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

Canada's minister of agriculture says a radical of B.C. ostriches volition "not necessarily" beryllium killed, contempt an bid from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) that they beryllium culled owed to concerns astir the avian flu.

On Wednesday, reporters successful Ottawa asked Heath MacDonald, the curate of agriculture and agri-food, astir the destiny of the ostriches, after high-ranking U.S. officials, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., publically called for the herd to beryllium spared.

"We're successful a process," MacDonald said. "We're taking each facts into consideration. And we'll determination guardant connected the champion imaginable solution for everybody involved."

Asked straight if the birds would beryllium killed, helium said, "The process is successful place. And not necessarily."

WATCH | Dr. Oz, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. wade into B.C. ostrich debate: 

The destiny of the birds connected Universal Ostrich farm, successful Edgewood, B.C., has attracted planetary attraction since December 2024, erstwhile they were told by the CFIA that their full herd of astir 400 ostriches would person to beryllium killed aft 2 dormant ostriches tested affirmative for avian flu.

The bid follows the CFIA's broad argumentation of "stamping out" each home flocks wherever the illness is detected, successful an effort to stem its dispersed and imaginable mutation.

The illness has been liable for the deaths of thousands of birds successful Canada and the United States and tin besides infect mammals, and successful uncommon cases, humans. Its dispersed was a superior operator of skyrocketing ovum prices successful the United States earlier this twelvemonth arsenic commercialized flocks were infected.

But Universal Ostrich farm has tried to entreaty the order, arguing that portion 69 birds died during the archetypal infection, the past decease occurred successful January, and since then, it says the remaining birds person shown no symptoms of the disease. They besides accidental they don't merchantability their birds for nutrient but have pivoted alternatively to utilizing them for technological research.

However, the CFIA points retired that the ostriches proceed to beryllium successful unfastened pens wherever they are exposed to chaotic birds and animals, which would let avian flu to beryllium reintroduced or, if the ostriches are inactive carrying the illness without showing symptoms, for it to beryllium passed backmost into chaotic carnal populations.

They besides said the workplace did not contiguous grounds that the ostriches were genetically unsocial capable to warrant an exemption connected technological grounds.

And they say they person a work to travel planetary guidelines connected however to grip infections successful bid to sphere Canada's cultivation manufacture and nationalist health.

MacDonald said portion helium sympathizes with the farmers, it's besides important to instrumentality a look astatine the broader discourse of combating avian flu.

"I certainly, you know, evidently consciousness atrocious for the farmers...  but we besides person the economical broadside to this," helium said.

"We person to support different industries and sectors, arsenic well."

The workplace is entitled to up to $3,000 per ostrich killed.

In the meantime, Universal Ostrich has filed for an appeal, which inactive has to beryllium accepted, of an earlier tribunal ruling allowing the cull to determination forward. And a radical of dedicated supporters person acceptable themselves up connected the farm, publishing regular unrecorded streams and lobbying for help.

It was done this web that the ostriches came to the attraction of U.S. billionaire John Catsimatidis, who told CBC News helium had been pursuing the story through a website called Broken Truth, which describes itself arsenic a web aimed astatine "exposing fraud and corruption, peculiarly successful medicine and beyond," and says it has its roots successful pushing against nationalist wellness policies stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Catsimatidis then utilized his platform, which includes a vigor amusement connected a New York-based presumption helium owns, to bring the taxable up to different leaders, including Kennedy. During an April occurrence of his programme with the wellness secretary, Catsimatidis claimed the ostriches were being killed due to the fact that of corruption and pharmaceutical companies, with Kennedy responding that it was a "huge mistake."

Kennedy past followed up with a missive posted past week to X, stating that helium had met with the president of the CFIA and was requesting that Canada see not culling the herd but alternatively enactment with the United States to probe them. Additionally, erstwhile TV big Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is present the head for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has offered to instrumentality the ostriches successful astatine his ranch.

MacDonald said helium has not yet had a speech with his U.S. counterparts astir the topic, but it would beryllium amended to person a speech alternatively than communicating online via societal media.

"If we travel Twitter oregon that benignant of happening with immoderate large decisions that we're making present successful Canada, I'm not definite that's the due people of action," helium said.