Overview

• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has reaffirmed its plan to cull about 400 ostriches at Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C., citing biosecurity risks and trade implications from a novel flu mutation.
• Universal Ostrich Farms was fined $20,000 for non-cooperation and is challenging the cull decision in federal court while demanding independent avian flu testing.
• Farm owners assert that the surviving birds have developed herd immunity and represent a valuable scientific resource for flu research.
• U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS head Dr. Mehmet Oz have proposed joint studies and relocation of the ostriches to Florida as alternatives to destruction.
• Protesters remain camped at the farm in support of the flock as legal and administrative appeals continue to unfold.