EDGEWOOD, B.C. — Animal Justice is calling on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to conduct new testing for avian influenza and cancel its planned cull of roughly 400 ostriches at Universal Ostrich Farms, following the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision not to hear the B.C.company’s appeal.
On the eve of the Court’s decision, Animal Justice sent a formal letter to the CFIA, urging the agency to refrain from taking the irreversible step of killing the birds and instead carry out renewed, independent testing for avian influenza. Infectious disease experts have questioned whether culling is still necessary and argued that updated testing could show the birds no longer pose a risk.
As far as Animal Justice is aware, no testing of the birds has occurred since December 2024 when an outbreak was first declared. In the letter, Animal Justice cautions the CFIA that killing hundreds of apparently healthy ostriches without clear and current evidence of disease risk would erode public trust in the agency.
“More than 10 months after an avian influenza outbreak was declared, it would be remarkably cruel to kill hundreds of apparently healthy birds just to prove a point,” said Camille Labchuk, lawyer and executive director of Animal Justice. “While these intelligent, long-lived, and sensitive ostriches are no longer protected by the courts, there’s no reason the CFIA cannot choose compassion and common sense instead of a senseless massacre.”
In its communication with the CFIA, Animal Justice also raised concerns about the methods that might be used to kill the large and complex animals, warning of the risk of prolonged suffering if the cull proceeds.
“The courts have affirmed that the CFIA has the authority to make this decision, but how the agency chooses to act is up to them,” said Ms. Labchuk. “The lives of these individual animals should be carefully considered, and any action should be guided by up-to-date science.”
Avian flu is a dangerous virus that has devastated wild and farmed birds alike. However, in ostriches, much like in humans, influenza typically runs its course over a matter of days raising serious questions about the necessity of killing these birds. With the virus now endemic in wild birds, culling these ostriches who likely no longer even carry the virus would likely provide little to no benefit.
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