‘Do the right thing’: Ostrich farm facing cull order urges CFIA to allow birds to be tested

Katie Pasitney is shown in this photo on her family's ostrich farm in Edgewood, B.C.

The fight to stop hundreds of ostriches on a B.C. farm from being culled after an avian flu outbreak earlier this year could end up in court again.

The family that owns Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood said they will appeal a judge’s earlier decision that sided with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

“We are moving forward with an expedited case management conference and seeking that emergency stay order once again,” said Katie Pasitney, daughter of the farm owners.

She said supporters from across the country continue to show up at the farm, concerned for the fate of close to 400 ostriches.

“We have people just watching the highways to give notice if they see a long caravan of RCMP and people coming,” she explained.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency did not make anyone available to speak to CTV News Tuesday, but said in a statement last week that it continues to plan for the “human depopulation” of the birds after 69 of them died of avian flu.

But the farm said they haven’t had a sick bird in more than 145 days and are calling on the CFIA to allow for independent testing.

“We’ve been living shock and trauma for five months, just asking (the CFIA) to do the right thing, which is test. Test the animals,” said Pasitney.

The inspection agency has fined the farm $20,000 after it said the farm “failed to undertake appropriate biosecurity risk mitigation measures” and didn’t report the initial cases of illness.

It’s something the farm denies.

“We absolutely reported it,” said Pasitney.

“We called our vet. We did our due diligence,” she said.

The CFIA also said, “Allowing a domestic poultry flock known to be exposed to HPAI to remain alive means a potential source of the virus persists. It increases the risk of reassortment or mutation of the virus, particularly with birds raised in open pasture where there is ongoing exposure to wildlife.”

“We do not pose a health risk. We know it,” said Pasitney.

She also refuted CFIA claims that the farm did not provide evidence of scientific research and said the information was providing in meetings.

The devastating toll of avian flu has seen more than 8.7 million birds culled in B.C.

Universal Ostrich is fighting to stop their birds from being added to that count.