The family who runs the British Columbia Ostritch Farm, where 400 birds are sorted, says about 40 supporters have arrived on the scene in hopes of a possible showdown with federal authorities.
In the meantime, the central Kootenai region says it received an operational certificate from the state Department of the Environment at a landfill in Castlegar, British Columbia, to deal with the disposal of bird flu-infected waste in the event of an Ostritch cul.
Katie Pacitony, whose parents own Universal Ostrich farm in Edgewood, BC, says that while the family has vowed to fight for the ostrich's survival through legal means, they already see supporters from Canada and the United States to invoke their cause.
In a video message posted to Facebook, Pacitony's mother Karen urged supporters to “surround the farm” and “don't let these beautiful animals do this.”
The development comes as a federal court judge rejected the farm's bid for a judicial review of the Canadian Food Testing Agency's order to kill flocks last year after an outbreak of avian flu on the farm.
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The family says that animals that survived the outbreak are recovering, happy and healthy, and developed what Pashitony says is “swarm immunity” to the virus.
“We are 135km from the major cities of Vernon, British Columbia,” Pacitony said of the low pollution risk poses from family farms.
“We are not around commercial poultry facilities. We are not farms of consumption. So how can we save the world by killing all the animals rather than using it as a potential benefit?”
Central Cootenai spokesman Dan Elliott says he received a landfill certificate to process the ostrich that died in January.
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“Depending on the need to manage avian flu disease, the Central Cootenai Regional District receives operational certificates from the local Ministry of the Environment and if ostrich culling proceeds ahead to deal with the disposal of bird flu-infected waste,” Elliott says.
BC Prime Minister David Ebby says the province is unhappy with the actions of Canadian food testing agencies and is unable to assess it on a case-by-case basis while understanding the need to contain avian flu.
“We hope that the federal government will look very carefully at the appropriate compensation to ensure the whole thing. We cannot fill it out because of the massive losses they saw,” Ebby said at a press conference on another event.
The federal court ruling said families could be compensated up to $3,000 for each bird.
Meanwhile, the Animal Law Group is urging the federal government to suspend all culls and consider whether killing birds still makes sense given how long it has been since the first order was issued.
“Avian flu is a devastating disease and must be taken seriously, but these ostriches should not be forced to pay for the failure of a broken system,” says Animal Judge Kaitlyn Mitchell, legal advocacy. “The outbreak of bird flu is exacerbated by ramp-prolonged factory farming, but it is the individual birds who pay the ultimate price.”
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