U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he has talked to Canadian health officials about sparing a flock of ostriches in British Columbia that have been ordered killed due to avian flu fears.
In a statement posted to X, Kennedy says that he spoke with Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) president Paul MacKinnon on Thursday to discuss the fate of the roughly 400 ostriches at Universal Ostrich in Edgewood, B.C. where avian flu was detected in two dead birds in December 2024.
In a letter to MacKinnon and posted to X, Kennedy reiterates that he is “respectfully requesting” the CFIA “consider not culling the entire flock of ostriches,” arguing “we believe there is significant value in studying this population.”
Demonstrators are gathering at Universal Ostrich farm in Edgewood, B.C., to protest a federal order to cull a flock of nearly 400 after two ostriches tested positive for avian flu in December. The farm lost a court challenge against the cull order last week.
Among the reasons cited is the long-lived nature of the ostriches, and the possibility that they may hold information about antibodies to avian flu.
He goes on to write that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration Agency (FDA) would provide their “full support and assistance” in conducting the testing and research proposed.
The letter, signed by Kennedy as well as NIH director Jay Bhattacharya and FDA Commissioner Martin A. Makary states that while the U.S. officials understand the importance of stopping the spread of avian flu, they believe there is limited value in killing the surviving birds at Universal Ostrich nearly six months after the last bird believed to be infected with avian flu died.
It also warns against a policy of killing all birds in every flock infected, given the widespread nature of avian flu in wild bird populations.
It’s not the first time Kennedy has weighed in on the case, having previously been asked about it during an intervinew on a New York radio show and telling the host he was “horrified by the idea that they are going to kill these animals.”
CFIA has said cull will move forward
CBC News has reached out the CFIA for a response.
Earlier in the day, the agency provided CBC News with a statement indicating the cull would be moving forward and it would not be retesting the birds. Nor would it consider an expemtion for its “stamping out” policy, which is applied to all “domestic poultry” flocks where avian flu is detected, which includes ostriches and emus along with ducks, chickens, and turkeys.
“Under Canada’s stamping out policy, all domestic birds at an infected premises are depopulated to control the risk of further spread,” the spokesperson wrote.
Court documents have shown that the CFIA had provided Universal Ostrich with the procedure for applying for an exemption but that it failed to meet the standards required, which would involve proof that the birds were considered rare or unique enough to be spared. Methods of proving this include breeding books, recognition from a certified breed association or the poultry industry, or specific genomic testing, which the farm could not provide.
Only one exemption to a cull order has been granted in Canada, in a 2022 case of a turkey farm where avian flu had been detected in two barns but not others on the premises, because those animals had been kept separate and safety measures had been taken to prevent the possible spread of disease between the different structures — conditions that do not exist at Universal Ostrich where inspectors observed wild birds, weasels and “unauthorized individuals” walking among infected animals, in violation of quarantine policy.
In that earlier statement, the CFIA says the policy is built on the standards of the World Organisation for Animal Health and states that a “single laboratory confirmed case of H5 avian influenza is sufficient to declare a premises infected, given how easily the disease can spread to other birds.”
It says in the case of Universal Ostrich farm, the disease was confirmed through the collection of duplicate samples of two recently deceased birds.
Supporters gather
The farm has attracted many supporters from Canada and internationally, a few dozen of whom have stationed themselves at the property following a May 13 federal court ruling stating that the cull could move forward.
The judge in that ruling did not weigh in on the scientific arguments of the case, ruling that the CFIA has a mandate from the federal government to handle cases like culls, and it would be inappropriate for the judiciary to get involved.
Instead, the ruling said the CFIA had followed the proper channels and policies in making its decision.
The CFIA argued that its policies are based on scientific research, as well as Canada’s international obligations to try to prevent avian flu from mutating and spreading further, potentially making it more dangerous to both humans and animals.
Several politicians, including B.C. Premier David Eby, have expressed frustration that the CFIA has not conducted more flexibility on the individual case.
Jordan Kealy, an independent MLA and farmer who visited Universal Ostrich, told CBC News many people who raise livestock are concerned about the stamping out policy, arguing that given avian flu has spread so widely into wild birds it is nearly impossible to prevent possible infection while still allowing animals to interact with the outside world.
However, the CFIA says it recognizes both the economic and emotional impact of culls, which is why it offers compensation for any animals killed — up to $3,000 per animal in the case of ostriches.
Difficult decision: professor
Fiona Brinkman, a professor at Simon Fraser University’s department of molecular biology and biochemistry, told CBC News after the court decision that the CFIA is in a difficult position in the face of a highly infectious disease which impacts not just birds but also mammals, including humans.
“It’s a really tough one,” she said in an interview with CBC Daybreak South host Chris Walker. “This is ultimately a tragedy of a pathogen that is now a threat to multiple industries and many animals.”
The greatest fear, she said, is that a new variant of avian flu could mutate that is even more dangerous to animals and humans.
But, she said, she had hoped the CFIA would conduct new tests on the ostriches now that so much time has passed since the initial cull order was given.
“I do hope they’re going to do a little bit more investigation,” she said.
Daybreak South7:44B.C. professor thinks CFIA should collect more data before enforcing an order to cull a herd of ostriches
Fiona Brinkman is a professor at Simon Fraser University’s department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. She weighs in on the order to cull a herd of ostriches in southwest B.C.
Brinkman noted that for most domestic flocks of birds, the mortality rate once avian flu is detected is upwards of 90 per cent but that was not the case for ostriches, with the majority still alive. However, that also meant the virus could “linger” in the birds for a longer period of time, potentially spreading to wild flocks.
“There’s a real problem with the birds not being able to be sheltered,” she said. “Poultry, for example, you can put them in a barn. That’s not appropriate for ostriches.”
