Winnipeg—A New York City-based businessman is financially supporting the owners of an ostrich farm in British Columbia as they dispute an order from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to cull the birds due to avian influenza.
John A. Catsimatidis, a Republican businessman and talk show host who is also CEO of the Red Apple Group conglomerate in the eastern U.S., said he will fund Universal Ostrich Farm’s legal battle in Canada’s Federal Court of Appeal.
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The CFIA ordered the cull and fined the farm’s owners after 69 birds died on the farm from avian flu in December and January. The Federal Court of Appeal reserved its decision whether to uphold the ruling earlier this month. Universal Ostrich Farm said it would take its fight to the Supreme Court of Canada if necessary.
Owners and supporters of the farm claim the surviving birds could be used for antibody research. Katie Pasitney, the daughter of the farm’s owners, wrote to Catsimatidis for support back in February, claiming that the birds were part of an antibody program in Canada, the U.S. and Japan. However, virologists believe any research would have little value as the ostriches were mostly outdoors and exposed to the elements.
Catsimatidis called the ostriches “iconic” and “ancient”, adding that he contacted his “friends in the Trump administration” as well as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, for their support.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has distributed more than US$230 million in emergency relief payments to California dairy farmers affected by bird flu since August 2024.
Over three-quarters of the state’s 1,000 dairy farms saw bird flu infections over the past year and the USDA has issued payments to 359 of them between November and June. More payments are expected from the USDA’s Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program, which was previously used for farmers devastated by natural disasters. However, some dairy farms are set to lose millions of dollars in milk income alone.
Scientists from Pennsylvania State University and the University of Pittsburgh have found that seasonal flu immunity may protect people from acquiring H5N1 bird flu, which could explain why most humans infected with the virus only saw mild symptoms.
Their study found that ferrets with pre-existing immunity to the 2009 H1N1 flu strain were significantly protected when exposed to other ferrets purposely infected with H5N1. Only half of the ferrets previously infected with H1N1 became infected with H5N1 and the infected animals showed no signs of disease. However, scientists warned that H5N1 can still evolve and become more dangerous as it circulates among other animals.
In Canada, there are only six premises currently infected with bird flu, the CFIA reported. No Canadian cattle have been infected with the virus.
