CFIA says B.C. ostrich cull will go ahead despite regional district refusing to accept the carcasses

CBC News

· Posted: May 18, 2025 4:07 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says it is going up with a cull of astir 400 ostriches surviving successful southeastern B.C. implicit fears of avian flu.

It doubled down connected its determination connected Saturday, contempt the section determination territory passing a question earlier this week saying it volition not judge the birds' carcasses astatine section landfills aft they are killed until the CFIA conducts much tests connected the birds and makes those results public.

The national bureau told CBC News it's alert of the motion.

"The CFIA volition statesman the humane depopulation and disposal of birds astatine the infected premises with veterinary oversight. Operational plans and dates volition not beryllium shared with the nationalist successful advance," the CFIA said successful a statement.

"We person a work to support Canadians from the superior imaginable risks that avian influenza presents to our radical and our economy."

Community rallies for birds

The owners of Universal Ostrich Farm had been warring the cull bid successful tribunal but a national justice precocious ruled that the CFIA tin proceed.

Katie Pasitney, spokesperson for the workplace owned by her parents, said she's disappointed with the CFIA's determination and wants the bureau to retest the birds.

"We tin beryllium to you we airs nary nationalist wellness and information risk," she said successful an interrogation Sunday.

"There's a household sitting present trying to bash the close thing. We enactment our feet connected the crushed each morning. We pray, we unfastened our hearts that there's anticipation that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency would revisit their [decision]."

The bid to person the birds killed has attracted the attraction of hundreds of supporters, who person made monetary donations to the farm's ineligible money and held rallies successful favour of redeeming the ostriches.

The owners of Universal Ostrich, successful Edgewood successful southeastern B.C., reason the birds that person survived the outbreak are blessed and steadfast and could supply invaluable penetration into warring the disease.

The workplace said a full of 69 ostriches are reported to person been killed by avian flu but it said the last decease came successful January and successful the clip since nary of the remaining birds person been exhibiting symptoms of disease.

A fig of supporters person gathered astatine the workplace successful anticipation of a standoff with the CFIA. Videos and photos posted connected societal media amusement dozens of people, tents, caravans and vehicles connected the property, with flags and banners draped connected fences.  

Premier 'frustrated' with CFIA

B.C. Premier David Eby besides weighed successful connected the substance connected Wednesday, saying helium was "frustrated" that the CFIA won't marque decisions connected a case-by-case basis.

More than 8.7 cardinal birds person been culled successful B.C. astatine hundreds of farms, astir of them commercial, since the archetypal outbreak of a highly contagious signifier of the avian flu successful the outpouring of 2022. 

The cull astatine Universal Ostrich was archetypal ordered connected Dec. 31, 2024, aft avian flu was detected successful respective birds astatine the farm.

But the workplace managed to stave disconnected that cull done a tribunal injunction that allowed some sides to marque their lawsuit earlier a national justice successful April.

Though Federal Court Justice Russel Zinn wrote that helium has "considerable sympathy" for the farmers, helium besides recovered that the CFIA ordered the cull aft pursuing due process and its mandate to effort to halt the dispersed of the deadly vertebrate virus.