There are always many sides of every story. On the weekend, Global BC had a Canadian Food Inspection Agency official on who explained why they had to do the cull. This video has never been on their website where they usually post all the videos they show on their news. Weird! Then I read the article below and thought everyone should hear the other side of the story. Global had continual coverage on this farm and never had anyone from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on their news. It was very one sided news reporting!
The Maple MAGA Ostrich Cult
They spent 25 years slaughtering ostriches for meat. In 2020, they shifted their business model and stopped selling meat. It is unclear what they did in the last 5 years to make a living. In 2024 a BC court ordered them to pay over $250,000 to their creditors. They failed to do so. In December 2024, 30 ostriches mysteriously died in rapid succession on their farm. A legitimate farmer would report this sudden death. They chose not to. It was only after an anonymous tip that the deaths were reported. The owners reached out to far right media and focused the issue on government over-reach to garner attention to their plight. Their support comes largely from Christian Nationalists and other far right wing agitators, with overlap with January 6ers, convoyists, anti-vaxxers and the maple MAGAs. They are attempting to use ideology to undermine science. They are backed by American billionaires. Their clarion call is, “freedom.”
As supporters gathered on the farm, the disinformation campaign went into high gear, using highly inflamed, rhetorical, hyperbolic and emotive language and imagery. The intimidation campaign also went into high gear. Threats and harassment and intimidation tactics were made against government workers, the RCMP, the neighbours, politicians, and local businesses. The agitators not only threatened these individuals, but also made threats to their family and children. An elderly neighbour was physically assaulted by one of the supporters; she was punched, had gasoline poured on her home and on her body. A business received a threat of having their employees followed and shot at their homes. The RCMP are currently investigating these threats and behaviours to determine criminality.
The farm owners encouraged their supporters to gather next to the farm, a quarantine zone for a highly pathogenic disease. In their encampment they held rock concerts, ignited fireworks, held prayer meetings, read from the bible, did a baptism, and held protests.
The owners claim they have been using the birds for valuable research. But in 10 months the owners could provide no evidence of research being conducted, no results of any testing was presented, no protocols of research were evident, no handling facilities, which are commonly used in scientific research, were evident, no records of research were presented, no biosecurity measures were in place. The owners failed to provide any evidence that research was being conducted.
A cull was necessary. We have to protect our entire poultry industry and we have to comply with international disease code standards around avian flu management. These standards have been in place and practiced for decades. It is about bio-security and trade security.
Farmers care about their animals and their industry. Any other farmer would have reported the initial 30 deaths and got ahead of this situation and not turned it into a gong show. Any other farmer would have conducted post-mortems and disease testing right away. Any other farmer would have consulted a veterinarian. These farmers turned the death of 30 ostriches into a circus.
Poultry producers, famers, and business owners do not support the farmers. Even their leader, Pierre Poilievre, wouldn’t touch this issue with a ten foot pole. These farmers and their supporters do not care about animals or the fact that 300 ostriches were held in captivity on a farm for no expressed reason (they were not meat birds). There are currently 12 outbreaks of H5N1 in Canada right now. All the farmers in these cases are complying with established procedures.
The owners had an obligation to report, they did not. They had an opportunity to provide the ostriches a stress free environment, instead, they chose to invite the circus over to witness the spectacle. They had opportunity to prevent further disease, they did not. They had an opportunity to limit environmental contamination, they did not. They had an opportunity to limit the spread of the virus amongst wild birds, they did not.
This is not about ostriches; it never has been. It is about agitation. It is the maple MAGA ostrich cult trying to undermine our institutions and our government for their own nefarious ideological agenda.
The owner of the farm is saying this is not the end of their fight but the beginning of a new fight about accountability. I agree - let’s hold these people accountable for their egregious behaviour and if need be, let it be accounted for in a court of law.
