A sign calling for the protection of ostriches at the Universal Ostrich Farms is displayed at the farm in Edgewood, B.C., on May 17, 2024. The Canadian Press/Aaron Hemens
An American billionaire has stepped forward in support of a B.C. ostrich farm facing the ordered cull of nearly 400 birds after an avian flu outbreak at the farm last winter, offering to help fund the farm’s legal battle and calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to help reverse the decision.
John Catsimatidis, a U.S. business magnate, said in a July 30 interview with The Epoch Times that he’s willing to contribute financially to Universal Ostrich Farms (UOF), which has launched legal action to stop the cull order, and to rally others to do the same if asked.
“Everybody feels bad for [the farm owners], and we want to do whatever we can do,” Catsimatidis said. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is “treating [the ostriches] like poultry, and they’re not poultry. They’re iconic, ancient animals,” he added.
UOF, located in Edgewood, B.C., was ordered by the CFIA to cull its flock of ostriches after the CFIA said the farm had 69 ostrich deaths from December 2024 to the end of January 2025, with the CFIA linking the deaths to “flu-like illness” and PCR tests showing two birds to have died from H5N1. The farm has said it opposes the cull order as the remainder of its herd is now immune to H5N1 and is being used for scientific research.
Spokesperson Katie Pasitney, the daughter of UOF co-owner Karen Espersen, said the farm is currently about $500,000 in debt, and while she “was crying” over Catsimatidis’s generosity in being open to contributing financially, she doesn’t want people to get the impression the farm is financially secure and no longer needs donations.
