AR-News: (CA) Poulterers ponder suit over avian flu: 'It's About Bureaucracy'

[Barry Kent MacKay]

June 1, 2004

The Daily News (Kamloops)

B9

Canadian Press

VANCOUVER -- Commercial and backyard poultry owners in B.C. whose 
flocks were destroyed to rein in the worst avian influenza outbreak in 
Canadian history are considering launching a class-action lawsuit 
against the federal Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The story says that farmers and small-flock owners meeting at a 
community hall Monday night said they expect to form a supervisory 
group to protect their rights in future and insist the CFIA properly 
justify any cull orders.

Christa Mead, who with her husband Mike Haffenden organized the 
meeting, was quoted as saying, "It has absolutely nothing to do with 
money. It's not about politics. It's about the bureaucracy," adding 
that the group, which expects to elect a board of directors, is also 
considering a class-action lawsuit to prevent the CFIA from ordering 
the destruction of future flocks. For us, this is about four wretched 
geese that we'd had for seven years. We offered to do anything 
necessary to keep them, including quarantining them."

Dr. Cornelius Kiley, chief veterinarian for CFIA, was cited as saying 
his staff did everything they could to inform people about the danger 
of leaving the virus unchecked, and in the end were left with the 
difficult task of culling birds they knew had to be destroyed, and that 
as it was, 11 back-yard flocks became infected with avian influenza, 
adding, "How responsible would the agency be to leave one of those out 
there as a potential focus of future infection?"

Kiley said he and his staff endured considerable hostility from some 
backyard flock owners, including Haffenden and Mead, to the point that 
when his crew showed up they had to be accompanied by police.

_______________________________

Barry Kent MacKay
Canadian Representative 
ANIMAL PROTECTION INSTITUTE 
www.api4animals.org