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3w ago

CFIA to Cull 400 Ostriches in B.C. Despite RFK Jr. Appeal and Staff Safety Warnings

The federal agency argues that humane depopulation is necessary to halt the HPAI outbreak

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Ostriches that have been ordered killed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency at Universal Ostrich on May 21, 2025. The union representing the agency's workers is raising the alarm over online death threats it says were made against its members.

Overview

  • The CFIA confirmed on May 26 that it will humanely cull about 400 ostriches at Universal Ostrich Farms following a Federal Court ruling.
  • U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and leaders of the FDA and NIH urged CFIA President Paul MacKinnon to spare the birds for their potential to advance avian flu research.
  • The Agriculture Union reports its members have received online death threats and had a CFIA vehicle pelted with rocks during protests at the Edgewood site.
  • Supporters remain camped on the Edgewood farm and the owners contend that the surviving ostriches have developed herd immunity and warrant further scientific study.
  • Universal Ostrich Farms filed an appeal in Federal Court in Vancouver on May 26 to challenge the order authorizing the cull.