{"id":178004,"date":"2025-09-29T15:45:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T15:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/178004\/"},"modified":"2025-09-29T15:45:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T15:45:13","slug":"the-b-c-ostrich-cull-controversy-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/178004\/","title":{"rendered":"The B.C ostrich cull controversy, explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tensions between protesters and the Canadian authorities over a cull order at an ostrich farm<\/a> in rural British Columbia<\/a> momentarily broke last week, after the Supreme Court halted the killing of hundreds of birds that became infected with avian flu, as it weighed whether to hear the case to spare them.<\/p>\n

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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency\u2019s (CFIA) plans to euthanize more than 300 ostriches, which tested positive for the disease in December, at Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C. The agency has faced increasing pushback<\/a> from the farm and its supporters.<\/p>\n

Culling of infected birds is standard practice and in line with the World Organization for Animal Health<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The fight to save the birds<\/p>\n

Almost a year after the outbreak, the owners\u2019 battle to save the surviving birds continues to garner the attention of locals, farm supporters and prominent health officials from around the world, some of whom are associated with the Trump administration, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr<\/a>., who chimed in to urge Canadian health authorities not to kill the ostrich flock.<\/p>\n

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In May, he wrote a letter to the president of the CFIA, requesting that the cull be cancelled. U.S. real estate billionaire John Catsimatidis has also asked that the Canadian government spare the farm from its cull order, according to The Guardian<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The clash with federal agencies has drawn hundreds of people to the farm; their interest, the Guardian writes, is founded in residual post-pandemic mistrust of the government, doubts over the efficacy of vaccines and calls for more evidence that the birds were ill in the first place.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBusinesses threatened over rumoured ties to ostrich cull\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tWhat led to the cull order?<\/p>\n

According to the farm\u2019s website, on Dec. 10, 2024, a three-year-old ostrich exhibited symptoms similar to pneumonia. Despite recovering, the farm says, some younger ostriches fell ill, resulting in 69 deaths among the 468 ostriches \u2014 or 15 per cent of the original herd \u2014 over a 36-day period.<\/p>\n

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It claims that only birds that arrived at the farm after 2020 became ill and that ostriches previously exposed to a bacterial infection in 2020 showed no new symptoms or deaths, suggesting the birds had achieved \u201cherd immunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In a\u00a0May federal court ruling<\/a>, a judge found that allowing the birds to remain alive could lead to the spread of avian influenza to other animals, the poultry industry or humans.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the CFIA says \u201cthe application of the stamping out policy for this farm has been upheld by the Federal Court of Canada<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Federal Court of Appeal<\/a> and is supported by scientific evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n

The stamping out<\/a> policy is a measure implemented by the World Organization for Animal Health. It mandates that all animals in a flock are killed, even if avian flu is present in one bird.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBusinesses being threatened for rumoured ties to ostrich cull\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\t\t\tWhat is Universal Ostrich Farms?<\/p>\n

Universal Ostrich Farms claims to operate as a facility dedicated to studying the \u201crobust\u201d immune systems of ostriches.<\/p>\n

According to its website<\/a>, the company ceased production of ostrich meat in 2020, shifting its focus to a research-driven approach. The farm claims that the CFIA is working against its research interests.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe farmers believe their farm has the potential to provide critical insights into managing and controlling diseases in wild populations, such as migratory ducks and other wildlife species,\u201d the website states.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tKaren Espersen, centre, the co-owner of Universal Ostrich Farms, speaks with supporters with her daughter, Katie Pasitney, at the farm in Edgewood, B.C., on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tTHE CANADIAN PRESS\/Aaron Hemens\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy isn\u2019t the CFIA working with us to come up with a solution\u2026 why are they so determined to destroy our healthy ostriches and stamp out their natural immunity?\u201d it continues.<\/p>\n

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Andrew Fenton, a bioethicist at Dalhousie University, said that the lack of clarity over how the birds are being used has implications for the health risks the flock poses to food systems, as well as the health of human and other animal populations.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\tUnrest on the farm<\/p>\n

The Supreme Court\u2019s stay order came a day after police arrested the farm\u2019s owners for obstructing food inspection agents \u201cfrom performing their duties,\u201d the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said, according to a BBC report<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Police said the food inspection agents were granted a warrant to search the farm\u2019s property at the request of the agents due to \u201cincreased tensions\u201d and \u201cprotests\u201d on the farm, the BBC added.<\/p>\n

People living near the ostrich farm say the ongoing outrage and protests have them fearing for their safety.<\/p>\n

Still, after months of protests over the CFIA\u2019s decision to humanely euthanize the entire flock, area residents remain divided.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that that\u2019s treason, what the CFIA is doing to the people of Canada,\u201d Nakusp resident Monty Paul told Global News.<\/p>\n

Randy Donselaar, who was born and raised in Edgewood and returned following his retirement, said the drama over the fate of the birds has been going on for far too long and that the vast majority of locals don\u2019t support Universal Ostrich Farms.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tA sign calling for the protection of ostriches at the Universal Ostrich Farms is displayed at the farm in Edgewood, B.C., on Saturday, May 17, 2025.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAJH\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s general sympathy for the birds but not for the farm itself due to their inability to be forthright and honest from the get-go,\u201d Donselaar said in an interview.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\tA tense situation<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is very volatile,\u201d said another longtime resident who requested anonymity over safety fears. \u201cOne person in Edgewood has been assaulted.\u201d<\/p>\n

The RCMP confirmed that shortly after they arrived at the farm on Monday, police received a report of an alleged assault on one of the neighbours.<\/p>\n

That person received treatment from RCMP medics, while a man who doesn\u2019t live in the area was arrested.<\/p>\n

The suspect was released from custody pending further investigation and approval of charges.<\/p>\n

Early Wednesday, a hay bale wall set up around the flock<\/a> was set on fire.<\/p>\n

CFIA said Friday that its policy \u201caims to protect both public and animal health, as well as minimize impacts on the $6.8 billion domestic poultry industry, and the Canadian economy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis supports Canadian families and poultry farmers whose livelihoods depend on maintaining international market access for $1.75 billion in exports,\u201d it concluded.<\/p>\n

\u2014 With files from Global News\u2019 Kristen Robinson\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t&copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tensions between protesters and the Canadian authorities over a cull order at an ostrich farm in rural British…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":143076,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[903,49,48,295,52204,990,66,519],"class_list":{"0":"post-178004","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-british-columbia","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-environment","12":"tag-ostrich-cull","13":"tag-ostrich-farm","14":"tag-science","15":"tag-trending"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}