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4mo ago

Canada to Cull 400 Ostriches as U.S. Offers to Relocate Flock

After farm operators declined a Florida relocation, the CFIA has scheduled humane depopulation for this week.

A sign calling for the protection of ostriches at the Universal Ostrich Farms is displayed in Edgewood, B.C., on Saturday, May 17, 2025.
One of the birds to be culled at Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, British Columbia
Image
A 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, 2024.

Overview

  • The Canadian Food Inspection Agency ordered the flock’s cull after an avian flu outbreak at the Edgewood, B.C., farm in late 2024 resulted in at least 69 ostrich deaths.
  • In mid-May, a Federal Court upheld the CFIA’s depopulation order, dismissing the farm owners’ legal challenge to protect public health and trade.
  • U.S. CMS director Dr. Mehmet Oz and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proposed relocating the birds to Florida for sanctuary and study, but the farm owners declined their offers.
  • CFIA officials have confirmed they will proceed this week with what they describe as “humane depopulation” and are withholding operational details to safeguard producer privacy.
  • Demonstrators have gathered outside Universal Ostrich Farm, highlighting farmer unease as Canada’s avian flu outbreak has affected an estimated 14 million domestic birds this season.