Edgewood’s Universal Ostrich Farm has been fined $20,000 by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CIFA) for failing to cooperate with its avian flu measures.
According to a May 30 statement on CFIA’s website, the farm owners have not cooperated with measures set out under the Health of Animals Act.
This includes failing to report the initial case of the illness and deaths, and failure to adhere to quarantine orders.
CFIA also accuses the farm of failing to undertake appropriate biosecurity risk mitigation, such as limiting wild bird access to the ostriches, controlling water flow from the quarantine zone to other parts of the farm, and improving fencing.
The actions, according to the agency, “significantly increase the risk of disease transmission and reflect a disregard for regulatory compliance and animal health standards.”
It claims the farm has not substantiated arguments of scientific research, saying CFIA has yet to receive any evidence of scientific research being done at the infected premises.
The agency has also accused Universal Ostrich of preventing CFIA from carrying out the cull order of its flock of 400, which was upheld in court last month.
“The farm owners and supporters have been at the farm in an apparent attempt to prevent the CFIA from carrying out its operations at the infected premises. This has delayed a timely and appropriate response to the HPAI-infected premises, resulting in ongoing health risks to animals and humans.”
Because the flock has had multiple confirmed cases of avian flu, and due to the ongoing risk to animal and human health, CFIA still plans to proceed with the humane cull of the flock, with veterinary oversight.
However, the agency has yet to reveal when it will occur.
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