Opposed to ostrich cull

I am opposed to culling farm animals simply because a few in the herd or the flock have become ill.

Culling is just another word for killing, and it is not pretty when the lives of thousands of animals are taken. There is little a farmer can do against a death order from the CFIA. There appears to be no wiggle room to spare healthy animals.

While I disagree with culls of factory farm poultry—where thousands must die—I cannot grieve for the animals because they are all destined to die anyway, being raised for their flesh or for the eggs they produce. I don't know how much it matters to birds if they die from flu, cull methods or in an abattoir for the dinner plate.

That said, Universal Ostrich Farms Inc., whose owner has been trying to reason with CFIA to spare the lives of her 400 ostriches, is not a factory farm. The farm lost 10% of its flock last year as a result of flu, thought to have been contracted from wild birds during migrations. The remaining ostriches are healthy.

Almost five months have passed without any other ostriches becoming ill with bird flu and I think the CFIA should reconsider its order to kill the 400 ostriches. No humans on the farm have been infected either.

The CFIA may be unaware that Universal Ostrich Farm Inc. is participating in an international study of COVID-19 antibodies in ostriches. If the 400 birds are spared, the results of the study could determine how avian flu spreads and how to protect flocks in future.

If the birds are killed, nothing can be learned from their death. Would they have remained healthy if allowed to live out their lives? I'm in favour of allowing the international study of COVID-19 antibodies in ostriches to continue.

The research will die with the birds if CFIA wins to cull the flock.

Helen Schiele, Kelowna