Ostrich Antibodies & Avian Flu: Is Science Being Ignored?

Season 5: Episode 207

In this North American Ag Spotlight podcast episode, host Chrissy Wozniak interviews Katie Pasitney from Universal Ostrich, a family-owned ostrich farm in British Columbia, Canada. The farm, which has been raising ostriches for 35 years, is facing a crisis due to a government order to cull over 400 ostriches amid an avian flu outbreak, despite most birds showing resistance and antibodies to the virus.

Katie explains that the farm has shifted focus in recent years to groundbreaking antibody research in collaboration with Kyoto Prefectural University in Japan. They inoculate ostriches with antigens to produce robust antibodies in their egg yolks, which could be used to create nutraceuticals like lozenges and nasal sprays to boost human immunity against diseases, including COVID-19 variants. This research has shown promising results, with one ostrich egg containing antibodies equivalent to 100 chicken eggs or the blood of 800 rabbits, offering a humane and efficient alternative.

The crisis began in December 2024 when the farm noticed symptoms similar to a 2020 pseudomonas bacteria outbreak, initially linked to migratory mallard ducks. However, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), acting on an anonymous tip, tested two deceased ostriches and confirmed H5N1 avian influenza using PCR tests, rejecting the farm’s request to test healthy birds or conduct a broader study. Despite the farm’s isolation and the ostriches’ apparent herd immunity—evidenced by 76 days without symptomatic deaths post-quarantine—the CFIA ordered the entire flock’s destruction, citing trading partner policies influenced by the World Health Organization and the UN.

Katie highlights the farm’s struggle against what she calls a “stamping out” policy that prioritizes mass culling over preserving natural immunity, potentially benefiting Big Pharma by eliminating alternatives to vaccines. The CFIA has threatened a $250,000 fine or jail time if the farm tests its own animals, and even probed for intellectual property during a 5.5-hour meeting, despite having already signed a kill order on December 30, 2024. The family faces a deadline to kill and bury the ostriches themselves or lose compensation if a third-party contractor intervenes.

With a judicial review scheduled for mid-April, the farm is fighting legally to save their ostriches and research, having raised over $60,000 for legal fees but facing $100,000 more in outstanding costs. Katie pleads for public support, emphasizing the global implications for agriculture and natural immunity, and directs listeners to saveourostiches.com for updates and donations.

Chrissy underscores the story’s urgency, calling for action against government overreach and the preservation of this potentially revolutionary science, urging listeners to share the episode and support the cause. 

Learn more about this cause at https://bcrising.ca/save-our-ostriches/ and give to the cause at https://www.givesendgo.com/save-our-ostriches or https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-ostrich-farmers-fight-to-save-herd-from-avian-flu?attribution_id=sl%3A80e09934-7413-429b-acfb-2f7015cc19d3&lang=en_CA
#ostrich #farming #agriculture

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