B.C. Ostrich Cull To Go Ahead

GrumpyCanadian · 2025-05-25T03:08:32+00:00

I hadn’t seen any discussion of this here, but am rather curious. I suspect most have heard about the herd of ostriches in B.C., where two birds that died in December were found to be infected with avian flu. A cull of the 400 or so birds was ordered, and CFIA authority to order said cull upheld in court. More recently, two big names in the current U.S. administration have been advocating for postponing or cancelling the cull outright. Those two have relatively little respect or credibility in scientific communities, because of their well-documented controversial views. The questions are: Do they have a point for once? Given how contagious avian flu can be, do we worry more about further spread and potential mutations leading to it affecting more mammals, including potential human-to-human transmission? Given that the majority of the flock has survived, appearing to go against the trend, is there possibly something to be studied? The article: RFK Jr. urges Canadian health officials to spare B.C. ostrich flock from cull All apolitical commentary/discussion welcome.

InternetJeff

bjlockie weaponizing the courts

That’s an odd take.

Regardless of anyone’s position on the matter, should people not be permitted to avail themselves of legal avenues for the appeal and redress of grievances in a legal system? If a Supreme court thought something was frivolous or the applicants were trying to “weaponize” the court, would they not dismiss the application and refuse to hear it?

Presumably the courts are there for everyone, and someone who would dismiss their use might be the next one to need to use them.

Somewhat-Reticent

urbanriot where’s PETA during all of this?

South of the border?

ugly95

urbanriot I’m curious, where’s PETA during all of this? I’d think this would be right up their alley.

I would expect that they would be against stamping out policies. But then they would also be against a farm using animals for medical experiments as well:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People_for_the_Ethical_Treatment_of_Animals

Animal testing
PETA opposes animal testing—whether toxicity testing, basic or applied research, or for education and training—on both moral and practical grounds. Newkirk told the Vogue magazine in 1989 that even if animal testing resulted in a cure for AIDS, PETA would oppose it.[162] The group also believes that it is wasteful, unreliable, and irrelevant to human health, because artificially induced diseases in animals are not identical to human diseases. They say that animal experiments are frequently redundant and lack accountability, oversight, and regulation. They promote alternatives, including embryonic stem cell research and in vitro cell research.[9]

urbanriot

Somewhat-Reticent South of the border?

No, they’re an international organization and have registered names all over the world (PETA UK, PETA Australia, etc.). PETA Canada is an active legal entity based out of Toronto and they are regularly campaigning in Canada against seal hunting, animal sales, fur farms, etc..

ugly95 But then they would also be against a farm using animals for medical experiments as well:

Fair point. That may explain it then, it’s like that meme of the sweaty head dude who can’t decide which button to push. I wonder, would a group that champions for the “ethical treatment of animals” find a massive culling of animals to be ethical?

GrumpyCanadian

This article is a little older, but goes into some detail about the whole situation on the farm, including their repeated failure to take responsible action in the face of the infection.

It also answers @px_eliezer_'s question: there are both male and female birds at the farm. This apparently provides them with eggs, which are involved in the “research”. If I have read that correctly, they are using the eggs to extract certain material which they are using to develop supplements. It’s sounding more like they are involved in selling snake-oil supplements (for weight-loss currently), and my earlier ostrich anti-body claims weren’t too far from reality.

It is important to remember that, while the Supreme Court did grant another stay to give them time to file their request for another appeal, they have not yet decided to hear the case. The CFIA have time to respond to the filing, then I think the farm’s legal representatives have an opportunity to get their final word in. The Supreme Court have announced that they will make their decision on an expedited basis, whatever that means (the Supreme Court isn’t exactly known for lightning speed).

So, unless the Supreme Court will be looking into other matters than just the legality of the CFIA framework and whether their procedures were correctly followed, or unless the farmers have some ground-breaking new detail to present, I can’t see how this would be worth the court’s time.

Also relevant from the article linked by @digitalfutur:

“The CFIA will maintain custody of the birds as ordered by the Supreme Court of Canada,” the statement reads. “The CFIA will provide appropriate feed and water with veterinary oversight while the birds are in the Agency’s custody.”

So it is not business as usual. Does this mean that Espersen and company have to remain outside of the enclosures until the Supreme Court either decides not to hear the case or renders its final verdict?

The last detail that I thought was incredible from that article was that some idiot appears to have tried to set fire to the hay-bale wall. Let that go long enough, and you will have a painful cull with no further human intervention. What could they have hoped to accomplish with that move?

px_eliezer_

GrumpyCanadian …some idiot appears to have tried to set fire to the hay-bale wall. Let that go long enough, and you will have a painful cull with no further human intervention. What could they have hoped to accomplish with that move?

Tastes like chicken.

ugly95

urbanriot I wonder, would a group that champions for the “ethical treatment of animals” find a massive culling of animals to be ethical?

I imagine that there could be a nuanced philosphical debate about whether it would be the most ethical response for the animals to stamp out some animals for the potential benefit of others.

But I also imagine that PETA wouldn’t be willing to have such a debate.

They’d rather make terrible browser games:
https://games.peta.org/mario-kills-tanooki/

Thane_Bitter

Are they dead yet?
Are they dead yet?
Are they dead yet?
I mean really this has dragged on far too long thanks to people so invested in their own agenda rather than public health, husbandry, and infection control. It would be nice to hear from the handful of other producers of this sort of meat and hear what they think about the entire affair and what steps they are actually taking to keep wild birds away from their heard.

Somewhat-Reticent

There’s often a narrow time-frame for containment of a virulent variant,
after which containment becomes moot. Many fowl species had to adjust.

GrumpyCanadian

There were two more interesting articles published. The CFIA shared more details about the variant that is present on the farm, and it isn’t particularly encouraging. They were also careful to point out that they have found one ostrich that is visibly ill, though they didn’t elaborate.

The first article notes that B.C. is already subject to sanctions placed on the import of poultry products by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. So, it looks like, no matter what Oz says, he couldn’t have the ostriches; it would be impossible to import them.

B.C. ostrich cull: Answering your questions after Supreme Court of Canada’s reprieve
Stay of ostrich cull in southeast B.C. an ongoing potential health risk, CFIA says

px_eliezer_

GrumpyCanadian The first article notes that B.C. is already subject to sanctions placed on the import of poultry products by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. So, it looks like, no matter what Oz says, he couldn’t have the ostriches; it would be impossible to import them.

Let’s give them to CHINA…

Return the favor!

px_eliezer_

ugly95

PETA itself kills lots of animals.

Their shelter in Norfolk, Virginia (that’s where PETA is based) has a much higher “kill rate” than other animal shelters.

NY Times (2013)
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/us/peta-finds-itself-on-receiving-end-of-others-anger.html

PETA’s Animal Shelter Still Shows Grim Euthanasia Results (2025)
https://blogs.duanemorris.com/animallawdevelopments/2025/02/04/petas-animal-shelter-still-shows-grim-euthanasia-results/

PETA kills LOTS of animals, maybe hire THEM to kill the ostriches too.

Life is ironic.

px_eliezer_

px_eliezer_ PETA’s Animal Shelter Still Shows Grim Euthanasia Results (2025)
PETA’s Animal Shelter Still Shows Grim Euthanasia Results

PETA: Providing Euthanasia, Terminating Animals

digitalfutur

InternetJeff I think the SCoC stay is mostly so that justice is being seen to be done i.e. that the CFIA has done all its work per its legal authority and the regulations governing that. If the court determines that the CFIA has done so, it won’t hear the case.

px_eliezer_

Detailed CFIA statement from September 26—sorry if this was already posted.

https://www.canada.ca/en/food-inspection-agency/news/2025/09/update-on-canadian-food-inspection-agency-operations-and-custody-of-ostriches-at-edgewood-bc.html

Somewhat-Reticent

px_eliezer_ Thanks. Doesn’t look like a repeat.
Feeding & watering, counting … novel assortment …
… may help tracking Ohio & Missouri event origin …
… implied enhanced toxicity … ( to mice ) worse than prior dairy cow v.
( Classic bureaucratic garblese: depopulated → euthanized, 5:3 syllables. )

GrumpyCanadian

px_eliezer_ Thanks for sharing that. Most (but not all) of the details in that statement were already published in articles we have seen before, but it is nice to have all of the important details in one official place.

One detail that is new is the fact that the UOF strain is a genetic ancestor of the strains found in two states (OH and MO). It wasn’t clear to me whether they are stating with certainty that the U.S. cases spread from UOF specifically, or whether the strain found at UOF could have subsequently mutated and spread across the border, entirely independent from UOF, and whether this might mean that there are likely sites of infection between Edgewood and those areas in the United States.

In a few ways, this could be quite important to the CFIA’s case, should it even get to the point where they have to file a response. I am still expecting the Supreme Court to promptly decline to hear the case, as I don’t see what sort of new, compelling justification the farm could have for continuing to drag this through the courts. Unless the Supreme Court expects some finer point of CFIA authority needs to be debated, I can’t see them wanting to waste court time on this. If anyone knows better, please explain.

GrumpyCanadian

It seems they’ve sunk to a new low: in her only interview so far, one of the farm’s neighbours details having found a masked man pouring gasoline around her property. When confronted, he threw gasoline on her, and seemed to be reaching for an implement to ignite the mess that he had created. Apparently, some idiot decided that she was responsible for the report to the CFIA, and that this was appropriate retribution. She is now under 24/7 R.C.M.P. protection.

RCMP investigate alleged assault of woman who lives beside B.C. ostrich farm

In addition to criminal charges, I hereby sentence him to a lifetime of constantly wondering how he could ever have been so stupid; how he could have ever thought that was acceptable behaviour. Henceforth, he will have trouble ever stifling his persistent remorse; he will think about what he did every day, and it will compel him to be a better person, absolutely committed to never doing anything like that again.

Somewhat-Reticent

GrumpyCanadian Thanks for the update. Glad suspect identified.
One can hope a swift kick got his attention and prevented worse.

GrumpyCanadian

The first link presents a fairly complete set of links to the CFIA statements connected to this case. The second is their most recent update (2025-10-01).

The third is a CTV report, detailing an interview with an Ottawa law professor, who explains why he thinks the Supreme Court will decline to hear the case, drawing on CFIA and UOF filings. As others have said, there is very little that is new in the case; they basically want a third opinion on the matter and/or for the Supreme Court to dilute agency authority in these matters, and give those against whom their enforcement activities are directed a way to effectively force them to re-consider. This wasn’t part of the original case, and the lower courts specifically said that they had no authority in that regard; they were simply examining whether CFIA policies were followed properly, and existing regulations applied.

If I’m not mistaken, the CFIA has already filed its response and, although incomplete, UOF has filed its reply. The documents must be submitted in printed form no later than 2025-10-07. According to the above-mentioned law professor, the Court’s decision is expected shortly. So, next week? The week after that?

The last two articles below that are different reports of the same turn of events. Apparently, Mr. Catsimatidis is running his mouth again, trying to interfere where he has absolutely no business. He is again singing the same song of testing the birds, or letting the FDA do it (this is new), and again advancing the idea of allowing Oz to take possession of the birds:

If Canada doesn’t want the animals, allow Dr. Oz to take them to the United States. What is wrong with that?

Well, John, since you are not up-to-date on the news in your country either, allow a Canadian to explain it to you: the U.S. Department of Agriculture already has a ban in place, preventing the import of B.C. poultry; that idea wasn’t even worth the noise any of you made to voice it, repeatedly.

Even Pierre got in on the act in the Global article. It’s more of his inconsequential blathering, and we won’t waste any more time on his opinions. More nonsense, just for the sake of being quoted in the news. And for the record, Pierre: no, we’re not “confused”.

The last link is for the Supreme Court’s page about this case, in case anyone wants to have a look.

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) on British Columbia Ostrich Farm (BC-IP223)
Update on Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s ongoing custody of ostriches at Edgewood, British Columbia
Law professor would be ‘surprised’ if High Court takes up B.C. ostrich farm case

‘Something is rotten in Ottawa’: fight to save B.C. ostriches ramps up with Trump ally weighing in
Fate of B.C. ostriches a hot political issue on both sides of Canada-U.S. border

41992 — Universal Ostrich Farms Inc. v. Canadian Food Inspection Agency

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