More than 300 ostriches shot dead on B.C. farm by a professional marksman: CFIA
Several gunshots heard at a B.C. ostrich farm signalled the end of an almost year-long saga to shield the lives of more than 300 birds.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed it has culled the birds in a statement released Friday.
“After consulting with experts experienced in managing ostrich disease outbreaks, the CFIA concluded that the most appropriate and humane option was to use professional marksmen in a controlled on-farm setting,” says the CFIA in its statement. “All depopulation activities were completed under CFIA veterinary supervision.”
Further, the CFIA says it has started with the “disposal stage” of the cull operation.
The agency moved ahead with the operation after the Supreme Court of Canada announcement early Thursday that it would not hear an appeal against the cull by the farm’s owners.
The gunshots heard Thursday night at Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C., came from inside an enclosure made of hay bales where the CFIA had herded scores of the ostriches, reports B.C. media outlet, Castanet . Farm supporters shouted “Stop!” and “Murderers!” when the cull proceeded just after darkness fell.
The CFIA announced in a statement released on Thursday that it would be moving forward with “complete depopulation and disposal” of the birds, guided by its “stamping out policy” for avian flu, and set out in the original cull order it issued 10 months ago after an outbreak on the farm resulted in the death of 69 birds.
The CFIA statement notes that appeals of the cull order failed in the Federal Court of Canada and the Federal Court of Appeal. Both courts “determined that the CFIA acted reasonably and in a procedurally fair manner in its decision to apply the stamping-out policy for the ostrich premises.”
The CFIA also restated the reasoning behind the cull: “Our disease response aims to protect both public and animal health, as well as minimize impacts on the $6.8 billion domestic poultry industry, and the Canadian economy. This supports Canadian families and poultry farmers whose livelihoods depend on maintaining international market access for $1.75 billion in exports.”
The holding pen at the farm, which had been filled with ostriches on Thursday, appeared still and empty on Friday morning, the Canadian Press reports. Instead, the pen is filled with long blue tarpaulins covering objects on the ground, which are also shrouded with black sheeting.
Bright floodlights and hay bales had obscured what was happening inside the enclosure. Two RCMP vehicles had blocked the road leading to the area where supporters have been gathering at the farm, with officers turning people away. On Friday the road was clear, reports CP.
A lone RCMP officer was patrolling the field Friday morning and the farm was quiet except for the sound of generators powering CFIA and RCMP equipment.
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