Farm suffered avian flu outbreak but owners have argued they did not pose wider risk. A B.C. ostrich farm says it is devastated by a federal court ruling Tuesday that upholds an order to have the nearly 400-bird flock killed due to the detection of avian flu, and hopes to continue to fight the case in court.
The order to have the birds killed has attracted the attention of hundreds of supporters, who have made monetary donations to the farm’s legal fund and held rallies in favour of saving the ostriches. The owners of Universal Ostrich, in Edgewood in southeastern B.C., argue the birds that have survived the outbreak are happy and healthy and could provide valuable insight into fighting the disease.
Though Federal Court Justice Russel Zinn wrote that he has “considerable sympathy” for the farmers, he also found that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) ordered the cull after following proper procedure and its mandate to attempt to stop the spread of the deadly bird virus.