Dr. Oz, billionaire John Catsimatidis offer to take B.C. ostriches ordered killed due to avian flu

High-profile officials successful the U.S. national government, on with a salient billionaire, are present weighing successful connected the destiny of a flock of ostriches ordered killed connected a workplace successful a distant portion of the B.C. Interior.

Former TV big Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is present the head for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has offered to relocate the birds to his ranch successful Florida, arsenic archetypal reported by the New York Post.

CBC News has confirmed the connection with Katie Pasitney, who is acting arsenic a spokesperson for Universal Ostrich successful Edgewood, B.C., which is co-owned by her mother. She said Oz had called the workplace Monday greeting to sermon the offer, and they were considering it, but successful a aboriginal interrogation said portion they welcomed the support, they would not beryllium pursuing the offer.

"We privation to support this successful Canada," she said.

Meanwhile, American billionaire John Catsimatidis said successful a connection that he, on with Oz and U.S. wellness caput Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., are seeking a "diplomatic gathering with Canadian officials" astir the destiny of the ostriches earlier irreversible harm is done."

LISTEN | Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. wades into B.C. ostrich cull order: 

Catsimatidis, who is CEO of Red Apple Group, which includes market chains and New York vigor presumption 77 WABC, said successful the connection that helium wants wellness officials from the United States to beryllium capable to measure the wellness of the birds.

Catsimatidis has been pursuing the communicative intimately for respective weeks and brought it up with the U.S. wellness caput erstwhile helium appeared for an interrogation connected WABC in a programme hosted by the billionaire.

And past week, Kennedy revealed he'd had a gathering with the president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, successful which helium urged Canadian officials to reconsider their bid that the ostriches beryllium killed.

In an interrogation with CBC News, Castimadis took recognition for Kennedy and Oz's involvement, and said helium would beryllium throwing his afloat value down the calls for the ostriches to beryllium retested, studied and perchance saved.

"I emotion animals," helium said. "Why the unreserved to termination them?"

The order to termination the birds came aft CFIA inspectors received an anonymous extremity successful December 2024 astir birds connected the ranch dying. They collected samples from 2 dormant birds and confirmed done repeated tests that they had been infected with the H5N1 strain of avian flu.

At that point, the full flock of astir 400 ostriches was ordered killed, pursuing a "stamping out" argumentation aimed astatine controlling the disease. 

But the workplace argues that after the archetypal corruption period, during which 69 birds died, the remainder person either recovered oregon ne'er showed symptoms of being infected, with the past decease occurring successful January.

On those grounds, they person argued the remainder should beryllium allowed to live, and adjacent suggested determination whitethorn beryllium accusation to beryllium gained astir immunity to the disease.

Court documents amusement that the CFIA did locomotion the workplace done the process of applying for an exemption, and that during this process, Universal Ostrich pointed to its concern with researchers looking astatine ostrich antibodies.

However, the CFIA said the workplace failed to supply satisfactory grounds that the ostriches are genetically unsocial capable to warrant an exemption and decided that the cull should proceed.

The CFIA says the argumentation of "stamping out" infected flocks is based connected World Organization for Animal Health recommendations, and is required connected some economical and nationalist wellness grounds. 

"We person a work to support Canadians from the superior imaginable risks of HPAI (highly pathogenic avian flu)," it said successful a connection connected the decision. 

"Our effect aims to support quality and carnal wellness and minimize impacts connected the $6.8 cardinal home poultry manufacture and Canada's economy. This supports Canadian families and poultry farmers whose livelihoods beryllium connected maintaining international market access."

WATCH | Supporters stitchery astatine Universal Ostrich: 

Only 1 exemption to a cull bid has been granted successful Canada, successful the lawsuit of a turkey workplace wherever the infected flock of birds had been kept successful a wholly abstracted barn from different birds, and unit followed wellness and information measures to guarantee nary dispersed of illness betwixt the animals — conditions not contiguous astatine Universal Ostrich, wherever the birds are successful unfastened pens and tin interact with chaotic birds and animals.

Milton Dyck, president of the Agriculture Union, which represents CFIA workers, said the occurrence of Canada's attack to the avian flu versus that of the United States could beryllium seen successful the caller spike successful ovum prices southbound of the borderline which resulted, successful part, from commercialized flocks being infected with the disease.

"In Canada, due to the fact that of the enactment we've done, we've managed to not person immense ovum terms increases due to the fact that we've managed to support our flocks, and that is partially by the culling that we do," helium said.

Dyck acknowledged the toll losing animals tin person connected immoderate farmer, saying it wasn't a determination made lightly, but astatine the aforesaid clip urged supporters of the workplace to recognize that the CFIA and the employees tasked with carrying retired the cull bash not marque decisions lightly and should beryllium allowed to enactment safely.

The workplace has attracted attraction online from a fig of groups, including immoderate who presumption the cull bid arsenic an illustration of authorities overreach.

Though the workplace itself has consistently asked for supporters to stay calm and peaceful, Dyck said immoderate of the online rhetoric from different groups has boiled implicit to convulsive threats, and said his members are feeling progressively unsafe erstwhile connected the job.

"Nobody likes to spot their flocks culled, and we surely don't instrumentality immoderate pleasance successful doing it, but ... it is our jobs, it's our mandate for the information of Canadians to guarantee that we transportation retired our job," helium said.

A petition to Canada's national cultivation ministry successful effect to the engagement of U.S. officials successful the substance was redirected to the CFIA which reiterated its mandate to sphere nationalist health.

Catsimatidis said helium wasn't trying to undermine Canadian sovereignty, but helium wanted to beryllium definite each avenues were being explored to prevention the ostriches if they didn't request to beryllium killed.

"I'm pro Canada. I'm pro United States. I'm pro North America," helium said.