Supporters urged to ‘surround’ B.C. farm where 400 ostriches ordrered culled

The operators of a B.C. ostrich farm where 400 birds have been ordered culled say about 40 supporters have arrived on scene in anticipation of a possible showdown with authorities.

The family operating the British Columbia ostrich farm where 400 birds have been ordered culled say about 40 supporters have arrived on scene in anticipation of a possible showdown with federal authorities.

In the meantime, the Regional District of Central Kootenay says it has received an operational certificate from the provincial Environment Ministry for its landfill in Castlegar, B.C., to handle the disposal of the avian influenza-infected waste, if the culling of the ostriches occurs.

Katie Pasitney, whose parents own Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C., says the family is vowing to fight for the survival of the ostriches through legal means, but has already seen supporters to their cause call in from across Canada and the United States.

In a video message posted on Facebook, Pasitney’s mother Karen urged supporters to “come surround the farm” and “don’t let them do this to these beautiful animals.”

The development comes as a Federal Court judge rejected the farm’s bid for a judicial review of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s order to kill the flock last year after an avian flu outbreak on the farm.

The family says the animals that survived the outbreak have recovered and are happy and healthy, having developed what Pasitney says is “herd immunity” to the virus, which makes the birds more valuable to researchers alive than dead.

“We’re 135 kilometres away from a major city, Vernon, British Columbia,” Pasitney says of the low contamination risk posed by the family farm.

“We are not around any commercial poultry facilities. We are not a farm of consumption. So, how are we going to save the world by killing all of our animals, rather than using them as a potential benefit?”