MP Scott Anderson and the owner of Universal Ostrich Farm Karen Espersen at the farm.

Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Scott Anderson

Vernon-Lake Country-Monashee Conservative MP Scott Anderson is officially pushing for a stay of execution for 400 ostriches in West Kootenay.

Ostriches on Universal Ostrich Farm in Edgewood tested positive for avian flu so the Canadian Food Inspection Agency ordered for the flock to be culled, and after going through a legal process to fight the order, a Federal Court judge upheld the agency’s decision on May 13.

Anderson has been supporting the farm since February and he’s now urging the agency to hold off on killing the birds while he tries to work out a solution to save the animals, according to a press release from the MP.

“I respect the decision by Justice Russel Zinn,” Anderson said in the release. “I urge the CFIA to temporarily hold off on the cull until our plan can be further explored and implemented. I am assured by several respected scientists that the solution is not only workable but will further our research into both H5N1(Bird flu) and SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19).”

Anderson said he isn’t a scientist but he quotes "experts" who said the cull is unnecessary.

“I’m concerned on a philosophical level with the interaction between a seemingly faceless bureaucracy and individual citizens. This farm is one of many threatened with the potential for instant destruction with minimal compensation, and we have to do a better job of serving our own citizens,” Anderson said.

He didn't propose a solution that would keep the birds alive and address the risk of the spread of disease. The CFIA has also said the farm owners could be compensated up to $3,000 per bird, which would add up to $1.2 million. 

Avian flu killed 69 ostriches at the farm and the CFIA typically culls flocks of birds that test positive for the disease. The agency has culled more than 8.7 million birds in B.C. since 2022. 

READ MORE: Conservative MP working to stop B.C. ostrich cull as farm's supporters gather

Anderson says he visited the farm on Wednesday and the family that owns the birds is "quite devastated" at the prospect of the flock of about 400 birds being killed over concerns about avian flu.

He says the case has caused widespread fear in the animal husbandry industry over worries that the federal agency can come in and cull every animal on a farm "including in some cases cats and dogs."

Anderson said on his latest visit there is a greater sense of "trepidation" over the impending cull since Tuesday's ruling.

—With files from The Canadian Press.

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