A legal battle may decide the fate of hundreds of ostriches on a farm in a remote area of B.C.’s West Kootenays.
Universal Ostrich, located in Edgewood, has been ordered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to cull its entire herd of about 400 ostriches by Feb. 1 after two of them tested positive for avian flu.
“It makes me want to cry right now,” said Katie Pasitney, who works on the farm and whose mom is a part-owner.
She said some of the ostriches they have are 34 years old, and have been with the farm for decades. The idea of having to kill them, Pasitney said, is devastating.
It’s the first time the virus has been detected in Canadian ostriches, according to the CFIA.
In total, 69 ostriches on the Edgewood farm have died since mid-December, but Pasitney said she believes the surviving birds have developed an immunity.
“We haven’t had a new symptom or a death for a week now,” she explained.
On Wednesday, about 30 people opposed to the cull rallied outside the farm.
“It felt amazing. It absolutely felt incredible to have that much support,” said an emotional Pasitney.
She said the farm, which is part of an international research program on COVID-19 antibodies, is looking at legal options and has retained a lawyer.
“We are seeking an injunction… if that’s what we have to do,” she explained.
She believes the birds do not pose a threat to the public.
“They’re quarantined and they’re contained. They’re never flying anywhere. And we’re in a really remote area, away from any other chicken producers,” Pasitney said, adding Universal Ostrich has been trying to work with the CFIA.
No one from the CFIA was available for an interview Thursday, but said in an email that the agency will be “able to provide a more comprehensive update early next week.”
The CFIA also wrote that the agency “has conducted an extensive literature review of the virus’s effect on ostriches, but there is currently no conclusive evidence to suggest that ostriches would have more immunity to the virus compared to other bird species that also exhibit variable clinical signs.”
In addition, the agency said, the disease “can be transmitted from animals to humans, especially people in close contact with infected birds or heavily contaminated environments.”
The B.C. Conservative agriculture critic told CTV News that he respects the CFIA’s work and believes it’s doing its best to manage the devastation caused by avian flu on poultry farms, but he has questions about the ordered ostrich cull.
“(The ostriches) are not inside a barn so someone tell me, from CFIA, how on Feb. 1 you’re going to deal with killing 300, 300-pound ostriches in some kind of a humane way,” said Delta-South MLA Ian Paton, adding that the remoteness of the farm makes him wonder if destroying all the birds is necessary.
“If some of the ostriches are carrying avian flu, I just don’t see it being spread to another poultry facility because they’re so isolated,” he said.
In a statement, B.C. Agriculture and Food Minister Lana Popham said: “My heart goes out to these farmers and all the family farms that have been impacted by avian influenza. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is the lead on all federally regulated viruses like this and determines the final response. This is a very challenging situation as we deal with a disease that can cause very serious illness in poultry and can infect people.”
