Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it will pay $3,000 for each of the ostriches that must be destroyed by Feb. 1
The owners of a B.C. ostrich farm could be paid $1.2 million in compensation from the federal government for culling 400 birds due to an avian flu outbreak.
In early January, Universal Ostrich Farm in Edgewood in the West Kootenays was ordered to destroy all its flock by Feb. 1 after tests showed two birds had contracted the H5N1 virus — likely from a flock of wild ducks that descended on the property in December.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency order remains in place, despite a campaign led by farm owners Karen Espersen and David Bilinski to get an exemption or extension.
Founded in 1995, Universal Ostrich Farm sells bird oil, feathers and skins, and is involved in an international program to produce antibodies and, ultimately, a vaccine to deal with the H5N1 avian flu pandemic. It does not kill birds for meat and uses naturally deceased birds for oil and feathers.
Adult ostriches can grow as large as 140 kilograms and, like horses, flee at any sign of danger, so will be difficult to cull all at once.
On Monday, the CFIA for the first time responded directly to the ostrich cull. Earlier statements said the agency would not comment on a particular case, but spelled out the steps any farmer ordered to kill their animals must take and the supports offered.
Monday’s statement directly addressed compensation for culled ostriches.
“Compensation is based on the fair market value of the animals. For ostriches, compensation of up to $3,000 per bird may be awarded when there is supporting documentation. While compensation may not offset the emotional toll of depopulation, it can provide resources to recover and reestablish operations,” the CFIA statement read.
The CFIA has the power to order a farmer to kill their animals under the Health of Animals Act, and compensation falls under the Compensation for Destroyed Animals and Things Regulations. Those regulations state a farmer will receive compensation within two weeks of destruction of the animals.
“The CFIA and Canada’s national poultry sectors have been responding to detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Canada since December 2021. The scale of the current worldwide outbreak is unprecedented and continues to have significant impacts on Canada’s poultry industry. The CFIA acknowledges that this is a challenging situation for everyone involved, including animal owners, producers, animal health professionals, and communities across the country,” the agency states.
On Wednesday night, Espersen’s daughter Katie Pasitney said the family would not be culling the birds and that supporters were expected to converge at the farm this Saturday to protest any attempt by the CFIA to enter the property.
“They can do whatever they decide and bring in a third party contractor killer at any time,” she said.
“Feb. 1 we are having a rally of support out here with people from all over Canada. I would think the CFIA would not be wanting to do this Feb. 1, but we have people camping here and staying as well in support to see the right thing happens.”
According to the CFIA’s status of the avian influenza response by province, there are 40 active cases of H5N1 outbreaks of farms. So far in B.C., 8.735 million birds have been killed as a result.