US Health Secretary Asks CFIA to Reconsider Culling Ostriches at BC Farm

RFK Jr. says the ostriches present an opportunity for long-term research on avian flu for both countries.

A herd of ostriches is seen on Universal Ostrich Farms, a remote farm in Edgewood, B.C., in an undated photo. The Canadian Press/HO-Katie Pasitney

U.S. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has asked the president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to reconsider plans to cull birds at a B.C. ostrich farm.

The birds at Universal Ostrich Farms Inc. were exposed to avian flu and the CFIA has directed the more than 400 birds at the farm to be culled. However, the farm owners say the birds are valuable for research purposes as they likely have antibodies to the virus.