Alberta premier wants a ‘better way’ than mass cull for B.C. ostrich farm

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith thinks authorities should be looking for a “better way” than a mass cull to deal with a British Columbia ostrich farm that suffered an outbreak of avian flu.

Smith says there should be a new approach because most of the flock at Universal Ostrich Farms survived the outbreak, and there could be something to learn about “whether there’s an immunity or some kind of vaccine” that could be developed.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has ordered the destruction of about 400 birds at the farm in Edgewood, B.C., where 69 ostriches died in December and January.

The farm’s owners say the birds should be spared, in part because of their scientific value, taking their case to the Federal Court of Appeal which reserved judgment last week.

Smith made her comments in Huntsville, Ont., where she and other premiers are meeting.

She says she’s open minded” and “supportive” of the United States partnering with B.C. to study the flock.

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U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote to the CFIA offering to jointly study the birds, while former TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz, now the administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has offered to house them at his ranch in Florida.

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“I gather that the U.S. government is interested in partnering with B.C.,” Smith said Tuesday.

“If they wanted to do that, I’d be supportive of that because you can see that this case has really taken on a lot of public sentiment behind it, and if we can find a better way than doing mass culls in any situation like this, I think it’s probably worth it to try to find a better way to do it.”

Smith says she asked her own agriculture minister about the case and if Alberta would have been able to handle it differently if the outbreak occurred there.

The CFIA has said two of the birds that died tested positive for a “novel reassortment” of avian flu, which had not be seen elsewhere in Canada.

The agency has said its “stamping out” policy is a critical part of maintaining not only animal and human health, but also Canada’s status as a reliable international trading partner.

The farm has attracted a vocal group of local supporters, including some who have been camping at the property to thwart any attempted cull.