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Victims, Not Vectors — CFIA's Ostrich Cull Misses the Real Source of H5N1 Risk
Published 3 months, 1 week ago
Description
- The CFIA ordered a full ostrich cull after H5N1 was detected, even though wild migratory birds likely contaminated the farm's pond — making the ostriches victims, not disease spreaders
- New studies from California dairy farms show H5N1 in air and wastewater, suggesting industrial livestock operations are aerosolizing and recycling the virus back into the environment through waste systems
- Despite evidence of natural immunity, CFIA's policy mandates culling all birds on an exposed site, ignoring science and logic by killing healthy survivors that pose less risk
- Factory farms generate billions of pounds of untreated manure annually, with open-air lagoons and runoff creating ideal conditions for virus transmission — yet regulatory focus remains on small farms
- A smarter policy would target the real sources — contaminated air, lagoons, and waste — not small farms. Testing, environmental controls, and accountability must come before destroying healthy animals