A flock of Canadian ostriches set to be culled, after two dead birds tested positive for avian flu, has been granted a last-minute stay of execution from Canada's highest court - for now.
Canada's Supreme Court issued an order Wednesday granting an "interim-interim stay" of a culling order made on December 31.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency late last year ordered about 400 ostriches to be killed. Since then, Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, British Columbia, has fought the order.
It has lost multiple lower court rulings but has won some powerful supporters in the U.S. who have launched a campaign to stop the cull.
Mehmet Oz, U.S. Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, offered in August to house the birds to study them.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr has also argued against the cull.
The culling had been scheduled for later on Wednesday, the farm's lawyer Umar Sheikh told Reuters.
He said he was "obviously very, very happy" with the order, but emphasised this is "a very uphill battle" and "this is just a very short, temporary breather."
In the motion for a stay of the cull order, co-owners Karen Espersen and Dave Bilinski included an affidavit from a University of British Columbia professor arguing the ostriches have immunity to avian flu.
The farm, whose owners say they specialise in studying ostrich antibodies, had argued culling the birds would cause "irreparable harm" and "permanently destroy unique genetics and a specialised research‑based business."
The ostriches' reprieve could be short-lived as the court has yet to determine the ostriches' fate.
The food inspection agency maintains custody of the birds and has until 3 October to file its reply to the farm's application to the Supreme Court.
The court said it will deal with the case on an expedited basis.
In a statement Wednesday evening, the food inspection agency said it will comply with the stay order.
It said its "stamping out policy" plays a critical role in animal disease control and that it is working with police "for onsite security and follow up on ongoing threats of violence and death by apparent supporters of the ostrich farm."
A severe bird flu outbreak in recent years resulted in millions of chickens, turkeys and other birds being killed in the U.S. to contain the spread of bird flu, which can infect humans and is fatal in poultry. The cullings contributed to egg prices at U.S. grocery stores climbing to a record high. Smaller commercial poultry flocks have been eliminated in Canada.
Cameroon's security forces killed 48 civilians while responding to protests against the re-election of President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest sitti...
South Korea's intelligence agency believes there is a strong possibility that North Korea and the United States will hold a summit, with the meeting p...
Mexico has expressed regret over Peru’s decision to sever diplomatic relations after the Mexican government granted asylum to former Peruvian Prime ...
Brussels Airport is closed after the reported sighting of a drone, said the Belgian air traffic control service and a spokeswoman for the airport....
The U.S. is collaborating with other nations to help end the conflict in Sudan, the White House stated on Tuesday, following reports of mass killings ...
Cameroon's security forces killed 48 civilians while responding to protests against the re-election of President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest sitting leader, according to data shared with Reuters on Tuesday by two U.N. sources.
South Korea's intelligence agency believes there is a strong possibility that North Korea and the United States will hold a summit, with the meeting potentially taking place after March, a lawmaker has said.
Mexico has expressed regret over Peru’s decision to sever diplomatic relations after the Mexican government granted asylum to former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chavez.
Brussels Airport is closed after the reported sighting of a drone, said the Belgian air traffic control service and a spokeswoman for the airport.
Russia said on Monday that its troops had advanced in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, a transport and logistics hub that they have been trying to capture for over a year, but Ukraine said its forces were holding on.
At least 37 people have died and five are missing after devastating floods and landslides hit central Vietnam, officials said Monday, as a new typhoon threatens to worsen the disaster.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he does not believe the United States is going to war with Venezuela despite growing tensions, though he suggested President Nicolás Maduro’s time in power may be nearing its end.
Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan vowed on Monday to move on from deadly protests set off by last week's disputed election as she was sworn into office for her first elected term.
The eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk has emerged as a critical point in Russia’s campaign to seize the remaining Ukrainian-held parts of Donetsk, and its fate could shape the course of the conflict in the region.
A prostate cancer blood test has been shown to reduce the risk of dying from the disease by 13% over two decades, researchers say.
Serious cases of a disorder of the large intestine are surging among Americans younger than 50, researchers say.
Russian President Vladimir Putin asked North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui during talks in the Kremlin on Monday to tell her country's leader Kim Jong Un that everything was "going to plan" in bilateral relations.
U.S. border czar says fentanyl should be considered a WMD.
U.S. states this week warned food aid recipients that their benefits may not be distributed in November if the federal government shutdown stretches into its fourth week.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment