The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has fined a B.C. ostrich farm $20,000 for failing to cooperate with the agency's response to an avian flu outbreak, as the owners continue to fight an order to cull the entire flock of nearly 400 birds.
The CFIA says its cull order remains in full force despite protesters gathering with Universal Ostrich Farm owners in an "apparent attempt" to block the killing of the birds. A convoy of supporters protesting the cull order left Vernon for the Edgewood farm on Friday, telling The Morning Star their demonstration there would be entirely peaceful.
The agency claims the farm has not substantiated their claims that the birds are subjects of scientific research, saying it "has not received any evidence of scientific research being done at the infected premises."
In an update on the situation, the CFIA said it has issued the farm two violation notices totalling $20,000 in penalties, which it said were levied because the farm has not cooperated with requirements under the Health of Animals Act, including failure to report initial cases of avian flu and deaths to the CFIA, and failure to adhere to quarantine orders.
The agency added the farm owners also failed to mitigate biosecurity risks by limiting wild bird access to the flock, controlling water flow from the quarantine zone to other parts of the farm, or improving fencing.
"These actions significantly increase the risk of disease transmission and reflect a disregard for regulatory compliance and animal health standards," the CFIA said.
It says the flock has had multiple lab-confirmed cases of H5N1 and there are "serious risks" for animal and human health, as well as trade. As such, it said it continues to plan for a cull.
The cull is part of the CFIA's "stamping-out" response to highly pathogenic avian flu, which it says is an internationally recognized standard approach.
Universal Ostrich Farm spokesperson Katie Pasitney, whose parents own the farm, could not immediately be reached for comment.
