A Federal Court judge has tossed out a challenge that would have stopped the killing of about 400 ostriches on a British Columbia farm that suffered an outbreak of avian flu.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency ordered the cull late last year after the flu outbreak, but the court granted a stay in January pending a judicial review.
The family that owns Universal Ostrich Farm in Edgewood in southeastern B.C. has said the birds should be saved because they have developed herd immunity and could contribute to the fight against avian flu.
However, the court ruled Tuesday that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s decisions were both reasonable and procedurally fair, with the judge saying “courts generally stay out of scientific debates.”…