The fate of 300-odd ostriches in B.C. has become a cause célèbre for animal rights activists… and also RFK Jr.
Driving the news: Protestors have been camping outside of Universal Ostrich Farm in Edgewood, B.C., in defiance of an order by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to cull the flightless African birds living there that were exposed to avian flu. Protestors insist more testing should be done.
Catch-up: In late December, the CFIA ordered the farm to cull all of its ostriches after a new avian flu variant that killed 69 birds was detected. Universal Ostrich fought to rescind the order, arguing that the remote farm would not spread the disease, but it was upheld.
- Claims that the rest of its flock showed no symptoms and had achieved herd immunity were dismissed, given potential transmission risks to wild birds.
Why it matters: Culls are meant to contain a highly deadly (for birds) disease and protect the poultry supply chain. But this case is a flashpoint for criticism of the CFIA’s handling of the outbreak that has resulted in over 14.5 million dead Canadian farm birds since late 2021.
- Previous reports have called into question the body’s preparedness and culling methods, which animal rights activists have condemned as brutal and slipshod.
Zoom out: The controversy has also attracted the attention of a network of anti-government conspiracy theorists who are co-opting the cause to breed distrust in public health authorities.—QH