B.C. ostrich farm calls for independent testing to prevent ‘unnecessary destruction’

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This article was published 02/06/2025 (503 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

EDGEWOOD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA – The operators of a British Columbia ostrich flock that’s facing a cull order after an avian flu outbreak are calling for independent testing of the birds to prevent their “unnecessary destruction.”

Katie Pasitney, whose mother co-owns Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C., issued a statement on Monday, saying the nearly 400 ostriches are healthy and have shown no signs of illness for more than four months. 

The statement says the flock poses no threat and should be tested for ongoing avian flu infections, saying the ostriches have acquired herd immunity to the virus and are a valuable scientific resource.

The statement is in response to a lengthy update from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Friday that said it had fined the farm $20,000 for failing to co-operate with anti-avian flu measures.

The agency said says it issued two violation notices to the farm for failing to report illnesses and deaths among the flock last year, and failing to follow quarantine orders.

It says the type of avian flu infection at the premise is a mutation not seen elsewhere in Canada and includes a genotype that has been associated with a human infection in a poultry worker in Ohio.

The CFIA statement represents a rebuff for proposals of U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who wrote to the CFIA’s president last week and called for the birds to be saved for joint research.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.

Note to readers:This is a corrected story. A previous version incorrectly said Katie Pasitney’s parents own Universal Ostrich farms. In fact, Pasitney’s mother is a co-owner.