Hundreds of ostriches at B.C. farm to be killed after top court dismisses appeal to stop cull

A lull connected the farm, for now

Things look to person quietened down successful and astir the Universal workplace successful Edgewood, B.C.

There are inactive ostriches successful the tract but the CFIA agents look to person stopped trying to circular them up, astatine slightest for now. Our colleagues extracurricular the workplace accidental the corral country is surrounded by a precocious partition of straw bales, which makes it hard to spot precisely what’s going on.

Supporters are inactive retired connected the road, though their chanting has calmed down. One idiosyncratic is drumming.

While the CFIA says it intends to destruct the birds, it's inactive unclear erstwhile that volition hap oregon if immoderate birds person truthful acold been killed.

We’re closing down this unrecorded leafage for now, but volition person much sum astatine cbc.ca/bc.

Farm says ‘life’s mission’ volition beryllium to combat CFIA

Speaking to supporters, Universal Ostrich's Katie Pasitney said adjacent if a cull of their birds goes ahead, they volition proceed to combat to alteration the CFIA's 'stamping-out' policy, successful which each vertebrate successful a flock infected by avian flu is killed.

With constricted ineligible options remaining aft the tribunal determination today, Universal Ostrich says its "life’s mission" volition present beryllium to propulsion for betterment astatine the CFIA.

"They volition wage for everything they’ve done here," workplace spokesperson Katie Pasitney told her supporters, referring to the inspection agency. "We volition clasp you accountable."

Pasitney besides said they were consulting with their lawyer to spot if determination was thing much that could beryllium done to prevention the birds.

Liberal MP Sean Casey said helium hadn't been pursuing the lawsuit closely. But helium did say, "I wouldn't privation to beryllium Heath MacDonald," referring to his agriculture curate colleague.

On Facebook, workplace supporters are posting interaction accusation for MacDonald's office, urging radical to scope retired to effort and get the cull bid overturned.

As for Don Davies, the B.C.-based interim person of the NDP: "I haven't work the [court’s] decision."

MPs successful Ottawa divided connected decision

Lawmakers successful Ottawa were asked astir the Supreme Court determination to disregard an entreaty from Universal Ostrich, clearing the way for a cull of hundreds of birds.

Our colleagues successful Ottawa caught immoderate MPs successful the halls contiguous and were capable to inquire them for their absorption to the Supreme Court’s decision.

"We evidently are pleased to spot the decision," said Sean Fraser, curate of justness and lawyer wide of Canada.

"It's important that the curate of agriculture and CFIA are capable to support the wellness of the wide Canadian nationalist and the nutrient we consume, and the poultry industry, arsenic well."

Scott Anderson, the Conservative MP who represents the ostrich farm's riding and presented a petition against the cull successful the House of Commons yesterday, said he's disappointed.

"It goes to underscore the structural request for alteration successful the CFIA," helium said. But helium did not reply erstwhile reporters asked whether he'd asked the authorities to halt the cull.

B.C. peculiarly affected by avian flu outbreak, information shows

Hi, I’m Akshay, a CBC newsman based successful Vancouver.

As the CFIA continues to circular up the ostriches today, it’s worthy noting that B.C. has been peculiarly affected by the ongoing avian influenza outbreak, which dates backmost to 2022.

The bureau estimates that implicit 17 cardinal home birds person been "impacted" by the H5-subtype avian influenza crossed Canada, with 11 cardinal of those birds located successful B.C.

More than a twelve farms successful the state person been deed by avian flu successful conscionable the past 2 weeks, starring to thousands much birds being culled. That’s contempt commercialized poultry being moved indoors crossed the state with migratory play successful afloat swing.

Avian flu hazard is tiny but contiguous successful surviving birds, 1 prof adds

Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt, the University of Montreal prof of veterinary medicine, told our colleagues astatine Radio-Canada that immoderate ostriches connected the workplace that were infected with avian flu but survived astir apt person immoderate extortion from the virus.

"But we cognize that extortion does not last, necessarily, agelong term," helium said successful the interview.

Having the birds continually extracurricular means they inactive look vulnerability to H5N1.

"The hazard is minimal but it's not nil. And unfortunately, legally, we request to enactment and enactment quickly."

‘The modular attack … is to cull,’ corruption power main says

Scott Weese, the main of corruption power astatine the Ontario Veterinary College Teaching Hospital, says Canada has planetary obligations to power immoderate outbreaks of avian flu, oregon its commercialized partners could suffer assurance successful its nutrient supply.

"The modular attack to that is to cull," helium said successful an interrogation with CBC's BC Today.

Weese said a batch of questions stay astir what the workplace did to incorporate immoderate outbreak, which makes the question of whether the flock is infected a tenable one.

"This has dragged connected for 10 months. There's nary mode that should hap successful a high-risk situation."

CFIA says cull needs to hap to support nationalist wellness and commercialized

As we've reported, the CFIA said its strict "stamping out" argumentation aims to support quality health, carnal wellness and planetary commercialized access.

"Our illness effect aims to support some nationalist and carnal health, arsenic good arsenic minimize impacts connected the $6.8 cardinal home poultry industry, and the Canadian economy," reads a statement.

"This supports Canadian families and poultry farmers whose livelihoods beryllium connected maintaining planetary marketplace entree for $1.75 cardinal successful exports."

Crowd present mounting disconnected tiny explosives to get birds to run

Small explosives tin beryllium seen and heard being acceptable disconnected by supporters of Universal Ostrich successful an evident effort to scare the birds distant arsenic CFIA agents effort to circular them up.

Rock euphony and honking from supporters

I’ve been checking successful connected assorted livestreams from workplace supporters who person made their mode to the farm. For months, this communicative has attracted organizations and individuals who spot the cull arsenic an illustration of authorities overreach — akin to COVID-19 wellness mandates and the like. Those videos person been reaching hundreds and sometimes thousands of followers.

More ostriches person been rounded up into a smaller pen wrong the perimeter acceptable up by the CFIA arsenic radical blare their horns and stone music, including We’re Not Gonna Take It and We Will Rock You, alongside immoderate much reflective tunes.