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Edgewood, B.C. isn't usually the benignant of spot that would beryllium connected the radar of high-ranking White House officials.
On the westbound enactment of Lower Arrow Lake and surrounded by the Monashee Mountains, it's a roughly 200-kilometre thrust from Kelowna, B.C., connected a winding road. An unincorporated community, the latest census enactment it astatine a colonisation of 235 radical moving successful farming, forestry and tourism.
But since December 2024, it's been making planetary headlines implicit the destiny of a radical of ostriches surviving connected 1 peculiar workplace adjacent the extremity of a agrarian road: Universal Ostrich, owned by Karen Espersen and Dave Bilinski and whose spokesperson is Katie Pasitney, Espersen's daughter.
In December, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) officials were tipped disconnected that immoderate of the ample birds connected the workplace had died, with tests confirming the beingness of avian flu. That resulted successful a cull order, which the workplace has fought, picking up high-profile allies on the mode and a tribunal ruling allowing the cull to determination forward.
Among the farm's supporters are U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., former TV host and existent head for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz, and U.S. billionaire John Catsimatidis, each of whom who person present publically urged Canadian officials to let the ostriches to live.
WATCH | U.S. officials question to reverse ostriches' fate: Dr. Oz, U.S. billionaire connection to instrumentality B.C. ostriches ordered killed
Meanwhile, the CFIA argues that arsenic hard arsenic the determination is, the cull indispensable determination guardant to support nationalist wellness and Canada's agriculture industry.
On May 30, the bureau said the workplace has been fined $20,000 for its nonaccomplishment to study the archetypal corruption and deaths of birds, and for its aboriginal nonaccomplishment to adhere to quarantine and cull orders.
And astatine the centre of it is simply a workplace afloat of ostriches successful a tucked-away portion of the province.
"We've taken years to beryllium capable to favored these guys, locomotion among these guys," Espersen said successful a Facebook video, surrounded by her birds, successful aboriginal May.
"If we don't basal for this … past what benignant of satellite person we become?"
Here's what you request to cognize astir this story, truthful far:
The avian flu context
The authorities of Canada, arsenic good arsenic different governments worldwide, are presently monitoring an outbreak of a strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) known as H5N1. Though it chiefly infects birds, it tin dispersed to different animals and humans, which typically happens done nonstop interaction with infected birds oregon contaminated environments, the authorities says.
While quality corruption is rare, the fatality complaint is "approximately 52 per cent", the authorities says, though it cautions that fig whitethorn beryllium an overestimate "given that mild infections tin spell undetected and under-reported."
The archetypal quality lawsuit of H5N1 contracted successful Canada was reported successful B.C. successful November 2024.
Avian flu's superior interaction has been seen among home birds, peculiarly chickens. Because poultry unrecorded unneurotic successful adjacent quarters, the microorganism tin dispersed rapidly among the flock, starring to precocious mortality rates and imaginable mutations. The illness has been blamed arsenic a superior origin for precocious ovum prices successful the United States arsenic laying hens were killed.
In effect to the virus, the CFIA has a "stamping out" argumentation which requires each home birds successful a flock to beryllium killed adjacent if the microorganism is detected successful conscionable 1 bird. Thousands of birds person been culled nether this policy.
WATCH | H5N1 concerns: What you should cognize astir the H5N1 strain of avian flu
"Allowing a home poultry flock known to beryllium exposed to HPAI to stay live allows a imaginable root of the microorganism to persist," the CFIA said successful a statement.
"A quality lawsuit of H5N1 successful B.C. earlier this twelvemonth required captious care, and an extended infirmary enactment for the patient, and determination person been a fig of quality cases successful the United States, including a fatality."
Disease detected astatine Universal Ostrich
According to tribunal documents, successful aboriginal December 2024 the workplace was location to astir 450 ostriches, immoderate much than 3 decades old. Partway done the month, respective ostriches connected the workplace developed "flu-like" symptoms, which started astir a week aft 300-500 ducks landed connected the premises.
The workplace says that from Dec. 14, 2024 to Jan. 14, 2025, "69 young antheral and pistillate breeders died, astir of them nether 4 years old."
On Dec. 28, the CFIA investigated pursuing an "anonymous study of aggregate ostrich deaths" astatine the farm, the tribunal papers says, and a quarantine was ordered the aforesaid time 4 much ostriches died.
Samples were collected from 2 of the dormant ostriches and by Dec. 31 they had tested affirmative for avian flu astatine the Canadian Animal Health Surveillance Network laboratory successful Abbotsford, B.C.. On Jan. 3 the National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease successful Winnipeg confirmed H5N1.
The bid to cull the flock was fixed connected Dec. 31.
Quarantine orders not followed
Inspectors besides noted the ostriches were successful unfastened pens, allowing for escaped entree by chaotic birds and animals, and that unit astatine the workplace shared instrumentality and "moved freely among unfastened pens", posing a biosecurity hazard erstwhile the illness was present.
Even successful January, aft quarantine orders were successful place, inspectors noted chaotic animals were inactive freely interacting with the ostriches and different information measures weren't being followed.
"The grounds besides shows that the Applicant's workplace besides exhibited sick ostriches being moved to attraction pens successful contravention of quarantine requirements, dormant ostriches dragged done pens populated with surviving ones without robust separation measures, and unauthorized individuals walking wrong the infected zone," the justice wrote.
In its May 30 statement, the CFIA wrote that the farm's nonaccomplishment to quarantine its birds accrued the accidental of transmission and "reflect a disregard for regulatory compliance and carnal wellness standards."
Claims of herd immunity
When the cull bid was fixed connected Dec. 31, 2024, the workplace was fixed a compliance deadline of Feb. 1, 2025.
They utilized that clip to effort and physique a lawsuit for the ostriches to beryllium spared.
According to the tribunal case, the farm's operators began raising the ostriches successful the mid-1990s, and Espersen and Bilinski accidental they incorporated Universal Ostrich Farms, Inc. successful 2001 with a absorption connected "ethical breeding and care."
In court, the farm's lawyer says that the farm's operations include selling breeding stock, raising birds for slaughter and nutrient and agri-tourism.
However, the workplace besides says it pivoted during the COVID-19 pandemic to absorption alternatively connected research, specifically connected trying to usage ostrich eggs to nutrient antibodies for COVID-19 oregon different viruses. "Meat processing ceased successful the summertime of 2019," it said successful a statement.
The workplace says it partnered with Yasuhiro Tsukamoto of Kyoto Prefectural University successful Japan for this work.
Neither Tsukamoto nor the assemblage person responded to CBC News successful narration to the communicative but the researcher, known successful immoderate circles arsenic "Dr. Ostrich," has antecedently made headlines for his enactment with ostrich eggs and COVID-19.
CBC News besides heard from a researcher who has confirmed his enactment with Universal Ostrich.
"Dr. Yasuhiro Tsukamoto and I are Co-CEOs of Ostrich Pharma USA (OPUSA)," said Stuart Greenberg successful an email.
"OPUSA has been tasked with commercializing the specialized ostrich antibodies produced by Dr. Tsukamoto and his probe squad successful Japan. We person been moving with Universal Ostrich successful B.C. to make the techniques for large-scale accumulation of ostrich antibodies derived from the yolks of their eggs," the email continues.
"Our absorption has been connected the accumulation of antibodies against quality digestive enzymes to nutrient a dietary supplement for value loss."
Tsukamoto has not confirmed his enactment successful this area.
Additionally, Universal Ostrich maintains that each of the birds that died owed to avian flu were acquired "after 2020."
This is important to them due to the fact that they accidental that successful March 2020, a flu-like illness infected their herd which they judge gave the survivors "natural and eventual herd immunity," and accidental that since January the remainder of the ostriches are "happy and healthy" showing nary motion of sickness.
Exemption denied
According to the tribunal case, the workplace archetypal raised the anticipation that its ostriches had developed immunity to avian flu during a Jan. 2 telephone telephone with a CFIA lawsuit officer, who explained the process for receiving an exemption to the cull order.
In followup emails, the serviceman provided the forms and documentation that would beryllium needed to marque the lawsuit that the birds should not beryllium killed, and the workplace made its application.
However, by Jan. 10 the exemption was rejected.
According to the courts, the CFIA concluded the farm "failed to show the beingness of immoderate chiseled epidemiological unit," that was not apt to beryllium exposed to avian flu, nor had it submitted "sufficient grounds to enactment its claims of familial rarity and worth qualifying the flock for an exemption," the second of which could beryllium proven done breeding books, designation from breed associations, oregon genomic testing.
The May 30 connection from the CFIA besides said the workplace failed to supply "research documentation" and that the workplace lacks facilities "suitable for controlled probe enactment oregon trials."
The tribunal lawsuit besides noted that determination has lone been 1 exemption to the "stamping out" argumentation granted successful Canada during the existent H5N1 outbreak, successful the lawsuit of a turkey workplace infected successful 2022 that was capable to show the implicit separation, including biosecurity measures, of turkey flocks wherever immoderate birds had been infected.
Not lone were the spared birds kept successful abstracted barns from the infected animals with chiseled ventilation and a "shower in/shower out" procedure, but the installation was besides capable to show the birds had "rare and invaluable genetics" utilized for "high worth pedigree birds."
The CFIA besides refused the ostrich farm's request that it bash follow-up investigating connected its surviving birds.
Legal courts and tribunal of nationalist opinion
The workplace went nationalist with its plight early, with Pasitney archetypal speaking to CBC News connected Jan. 9.
The communicative was besides covered by section outlets and was aboriginal picked up arsenic a run by the Ezra Levant-owned website the Rebel, which successful a Jan. 24 station encouraged readers to statesman emailing the CFIA and different officials, claiming the cull was successful portion due to the fact that of the power of large pharmaceutical companies.
Also progressive is B.C. Rising, a radical with a website that includes a conception arguing that COVID-19 was portion of a United Nations-led crippled to instrumentality power of immense swaths of onshore and that 15-minute cities, an municipality readying instrumentality aimed astatine creating walkable neighbourhoods, is really a crippled to trap radical successful idiosyncratic sectors of their city.
The tract present has a conception titled "Save Our Ostriches" and helped signifier a "convoy" of radical to sojourn the workplace and amusement their absorption to the termination order.
The workplace welcomed supporters, portion besides posting a disclaimer stating it did not needfully hold with each of the worldly being circulated by those who had taken up the origin of redeeming the ostriches.
"We're conscionable trying to bash what's right," Pasitney said.
In the meantime, the workplace contracted a lawyer to use for the cull to beryllium stayed until the lawsuit could beryllium heard by the courts, arguing Universal Ostrich would endure "irreparable harm" should it determination ahead.
That enactment was granted, and the lawsuit went to national tribunal for 2 days of hearings connected April 14 and 15.
Legal and technological debate
During the hearings, Universal Ostrich pleaded its lawsuit for an exemption, reiterating galore of its erstwhile claims astir herd immunity and the technological worth of its birds.
It besides called connected 3 individuals who argued that the stamping-out argumentation utilized by the CFIA was not required, astatine slightest successful the lawsuit of the ostriches.
Those individuals were Steven Pelech, a UBC prof and biochemist with grooming successful immunology and virology, Bryan Brindle, an immunologist astatine the University of Guelph and Jeff Wilson, a erstwhile elder epidemiologist and manager astatine the Public Heath Agency of Canada.
Collectively, the trio made the lawsuit that ostriches should beryllium treated arsenic antithetic from hens oregon different poultry owed to a operation of their agelong lifespan (three to 5 decades) and the information that they don't unrecorded successful arsenic densely populated conditions arsenic hens.
They besides argued that the CFIA should person been unfastened to further investigating of the surviving birds aft the archetypal deaths occurred.
But the CFIA pushed back.
"Whether oregon not the birds retrieve and look steadfast is not the interest erstwhile implementing a cull policy," said Paul Saunders, the agency's lawyer.
"That interest besides includes the imaginable for the mutation of the microorganism among steadfast birds.... an corruption successful birds could beryllium a precursor to a quality flu pandemic. Regardless of however apt that is, erstwhile it happens, it's happened, truthful that is simply a interest motivating the CFIA's response."
The CFIA also relied connected a study from Shannon French, a veterinary epidemiologist trained successful epidemiology, virology and poultry wellness management, outlining the planetary technological standards that pass its decision-making.
The agency's legal squad besides attacked the trio of scientists enactment guardant by the farm, stating nary person ever worked with ostriches, and that overmuch of their grounds was "speculative" and "well extracurricular mainstream peer-reviewed literature."
Likewise, the farm's lawyers attacked French for not being impartial fixed her nonrecreational relation with the CFIA.
"Unsurprisingly, each broadside seeks to constrictive the evidentiary footprint of the other, and asks this Court to trust connected the sentiment of their experts should opinions diverge," Justice Russel Zinn wrote, yet declaring it would beryllium inappropriate for him oregon immoderate different justice to bash so.
Instead, helium focused connected the information that the CFIA was the bureau successful Canada tasked with managing the analyzable technological and method decisions successful narration to avian flu.
"When Parliament leaves method oregon technological assessments to specialized administrative bodies, it signals that those bodies, not the courts, are champion positioned to marque judgments connected complex, expertise-driven matters," helium wrote, allowing the cull to proceed.
A hard decision
Both Zinn and the CFIA noted the affectional and economical toll immoderate cull takes connected farmers.
They besides noted that the cull is not punishment but alternatively based connected the nationalist good, which is besides wherefore farms person fiscal compensation erstwhile they instrumentality place — up to $3,000 per carnal successful the lawsuit of the ostriches.
"While compensation whitethorn not offset the affectional toll of depopulation, it tin supply resources to retrieve and reestablish operations," CFIA said.
But that's not feasible for Universal Ostrich, Pasitney said. Her parent is successful her 60s, her concern spouse successful his 70s, and they don't consciousness they tin commencement implicit with a caller acceptable of birds, particularly ones arsenic finicky arsenic ostriches.
"They're successful the pecking order," Pasitney said. "They cognize them."
Scientists not progressive successful the tribunal lawsuit accidental the CFIA and Universal Ostrich are trying to navigate a hard position.
Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt, a prof astatine the University of Montreal's veterinary school, says Canada has signed a treaty with the World Organisation for Animal Health, which means it has agreed connected definite circumstantial measures, similar culls, when it comes to controlling avian flu.
"We effort to extinguish the occurrence — so fundamentally the microorganism can't provender and replicate if it has different birds around," helium said.
J. Scott Weese, a prof astatine the Ontario Veterinary College, told CBC News successful an email that a determination to cull animals astatine a workplace is simply a cost-benefit decision, wherever the costs and benefits can't beryllium quantified easily.
"In general, culling makes much consciousness erstwhile there's wide infection, hazard to radical astir the animals, constricted different vulnerability risk, wherever illness is much terrible and wherever there's little worth — economic, conservation, human-animal bond — of the animals," helium said.
But Weese added that H5N1 is present good established successful Canada, and determination whitethorn beryllium little justification for culling from the standpoint of controlling disease.
"An idiosyncratic radical of birds is simply a driblet successful the bucket now," helium said. "Culling astir apt has small colonisation benefit."
He added, though, that from a "risk aversion standpoint," a cull is the "easiest thing" to do.
And Fiona Brinkman, a prof astatine Simon Fraser University's section of molecular biology and biochemistry called the dispersed of avian flu "a tragedy," saying that she had hoped the CFIA would behaviour caller tests of the ostriches portion she besides recognized the interest that they could beryllium reinfected oregon asymptomatic, passing the flu backmost and distant with chaotic birds.
"There's a existent occupation with the birds not being capable to beryllium sheltered," she said. "Poultry, for example, you tin enactment them successful a barn. That's not due for ostriches."
And rights radical Animal Justice has go involved, arguing that alternatively than wide culls, Canada should absorption connected improving conditions astatine large-scale poultry farms wherever birds are kept successful much confined conditions.
LISTEN: Professor weighs successful connected ostrich cull order: Daybreak South7:44B.C. prof thinks CFIA should cod much information earlier enforcing an bid to cull a herd of ostriches
Political pushback
Despite the ruling, B.C.'s premier has expressed vexation with the CFIA for not showing much "flexibility" in its determination making.
"We recognize the value of containing the vertebrate flu and the important relation that bureau plays," helium said pursuing the tribunal ruling. "What's hard to ticker is simply a deficiency of discretion and quality to measure case-by-case scenarios."
He said putting the specifics of the ostrich lawsuit aside, it's a "consistent acquisition the state has had with national agencies."
Conservative MP Scott Anderson has visited the farm, which is successful his riding, and says helium has asked the CFIA to "hold off" connected the cull and beryllium unfastened to different solutions.
Another person to sojourn is autarkic MLA Jordan Kealey of Peace River North, who is simply a husbandman himself.
He told CBC News the lawsuit had struck fearfulness into galore autarkic farmers who interest that with avian flu truthful prevalent among chaotic birds, it volition beryllium astir intolerable to debar vulnerability and, ultimately, volition pb to the nonaccomplishment of animals.
Meanwhile, the Regional District of Central Kootenay voted to not judge the carcasses of immoderate killed ostriches astatine section landfills unless followup investigating of the birds was done, and the results made public. That gathering was attended by astir 300 supporters of the workplace via Zoom.
Threats, deaths and RCMP involvement
Since the ruling, a fewer twelve supporters person camped retired astatine the farm, astatine the encouragement of its owners, with Espersen encouraging them to "come situation the farm" and "don't fto them bash this to these beauteous animals."
WATCH | Supporters stitchery astatine Universal Ostrich: Supporters backmost ostrich workplace warring cull contempt past cases of avian flu
The workplace has urged its supporters to beryllium peaceful and spoken retired against threats of unit that person been made by immoderate opposed to the cull.
The national representing CFIA workers says it has fears implicit immoderate of the rhetoric being posted online, including decease threats against members.
"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," said Milton Dyck, the president of the Agriculture Union, successful an interrogation with CBC News.
In its May 30 statement, the CFIA said the workplace owners and supporters had gathered successful "an evident effort to forestall the CFIA from carrying retired its operations astatine the infected premises.
"This has delayed a timely and due effect to the HPAI infected premises, resulting successful ongoing wellness risks to animals and humans," the connection read.
On the different side, Universal Ostrich says 2 of its birds person been shot, 1 connected the nighttime of March 21 and the different connected the nighttime of May 23.
RCMP has not confirmed the origin of the deaths but says it is investigating some instances.
RCMP liason officers person besides been paying regular visits to the workplace successful what they picture arsenic an effort to support information for everyone involved.
Universal Ostrich says it supports the RCMP's presence.
RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz measurement in
In the meantime, connection of the ostriches' fate has continued to turn done dedicated sum from autarkic streamers and websites dedicated to pushing backmost against what they presumption arsenic authorities overreach.
One of the astir high-profile supporters to leap connected the cause has been U.S. billionaire John Catsimatidis, who told CBC News helium had been pursuing the story through a website called Broken Truth.
That website, published done the Substack platform, describes itself arsenic a web aimed astatine "exposing fraud and corruption, peculiarly successful medicine and beyond," and says it has its roots successful pushing backmost 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 X connected May 23, 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.
The U.S. wellness caput has antecedently suggested successful interviews that farmers should let avian flu to "run through" their flocks successful bid to "preserve the birds that are immune to it" — a important departure from Canadian, U.S. and planetary wellness guidelines that has received wide disapproval from those tasked with controlling the disease.
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.
The workplace has rejected the connection but said it appreciates the support.
"They spot the science, they spot the potential," Pasitney said successful an interrogation with CBC News.
Fate unknown
Through each this, the CFIA has remained steadfast successful its argumentation to person the flock culled, saying stamping retired is simply a indispensable argumentation needed to support nationalist wellness and Canada's argriculture industry.
It says the cull volition beryllium done humanely, and nether veterinary supervision, but that it volition not beryllium sharing details of the operation — including erstwhile it mightiness instrumentality place — successful advance.
But connected May 28, Canada's minister of agriculture indicated the birds volition "not necessarily" beryllium killed.
"We're successful a process," Heath MacDonald, the curate of agriculture and agri-food, 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."
And Universal Ostrich is hoping to spell backmost to court, having filed an entreaty of the earlier tribunal ruling connected May 26.
According to the Canadian Press, the farm's entreaty claims the tribunal made "multiple reversible errors" successful its earlier ruling upholding the cull order, and that its own lawyers provided "ineffective assistance" that "amounted to incompetence, and resulted successful a miscarriage of justice."
The farm's entreaty says "prior counsel had a fiscal involvement successful the demolition of the appellant's ostriches, resulting successful a blatant struggle of interest."
Lee Turner, 1 of the farm's erstwhile lawyers, told The Canadian Press he "certainly did not" person a struggle of interest, and his co-counsel Michael Carter did a "a singular occupation with the abbreviated model of clip that helium had."
The entreaty has not yet been accepted.
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