A B.C. ostrich farm opposing a cull order against its birds over concerns of avian flu exposure, has been granted an interim stay by the Federal Court of Appeal, averting the slaughter of its nearly 400 ostriches, for now.
Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C. was ordered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) last December to cull its flock of ostriches after the agency said the farm had 69 ostrich deaths from December 2024 to the end of January 2025, with the CFIA linking the deaths to “‘flu-like’ illness” and PCR tests showing two birds to have died from H5N1.
The farm has argued that its herd has since gained immunity from the virus and is being used for research. Attempts to overturn the cull order were unsuccessful. In June, the Federal Court upheld CFIA’s order. The farm owners appealed the ruling, but the Federal Court of Appeal rejected their application in August. The farmers had also previously applied for a judicial review of the CFIA order, but it was denied….