Canada: Supreme Court Halts Cull of 400 Ostriches

3 DAYS AGO·UPDATED 3 DAYS AGO

story

Above: An ostrich at a farm in the Choman district of Erbil, Iraq on April 30, 2025. Image copyright: Ahsan Mohammed Ahmed Ahmed/Anadolu/Getty Images

The Spin

Government-critical narrative

Canada's Supreme Court stay has rightly spared 400 ostriches from a reckless CFIA cull, as the birds have been healthy and symptom-free for 253 days. Even after draining the pond that drew in infected ducks, farmers face an agency refusing retesting and enforcing a WHO-backed "stamping-out policy" that tramples established guidelines. This is government overreach at its worst — ignoring science, property rights and the birds' vital role in producing therapeutic antibodies.

Rebel News The Globe and Mail

Pro-government narrative

The Supreme Court’s stay may pause the cull, but it does not erase the danger. H5N1 is a deadly, highly contagious virus that can jump from birds to humans, and Canada's "stamping-out policy" — based on WHO standards and vital for trade — is essential to prevent its spread. Activists and Trump-aligned agitators are fueling harassment and death threats, undermining trust in public health while ignoring that exposed ostriches can silently shed the virus and mutate it into new threats.

Canlii Guardian