Protesters who have been camping this weekend at a British Columbia ostrich farm that’s been ordered to kill its entire flock because of bird flu say they’re preparing to stay longer.
Universal Ostrich Farm, in Edgewood, B.C., has been battling with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency over the cull of 399 birds after the farm lost its court battle to save the birds.
One of the protesters, Jim Kerr, says more than 200 people showed up on Saturday to oppose the cull, and the plan at this moment is to stay “peaceful, loving, and lawful.”
But Kerr says that doesn’t mean they will make it easy for the authorities if they come by, saying the group intends to “slow them down” or catch them doing anything that would be “deemed to be against the law.”
The Regional District of Central Kootenay passed a resolution Thursday not to allow the CFIA to dispose of ostrich carcasses in its landfills pending further testing of the birds for avian flu, which some opponents of the cull have interpreted to mean carcasses will be rejected unless they test positive.
The CFIA says it’s aware of the regional district’s motion, but the cull will still proceed with veterinary oversight, although operation dates and plans will not be shared with the public in advance.
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The agency ordered the birds destroyed in December after avian flu was found on the farm and a Federal Court ruled to uphold the decision last week. More than 8.7 million birds have been culled in British Columbia since a highly infectious form of the avian flu showed up on farms starting in the spring of 2022.
Aidan McLaren-Caux, a board vice-chair with the Regional District of Central Kootenay, has said if the birds get tested and are found to be well, the hope is that the cull order will be rescinded.
Katie Pasitney, whose parents own the farm, says she hasn’t heard from the CFIA yet, but her family saw the news that the authority will do the cull, in a way that it chooses, without prior notice.
Pasitney says there is a lack of trust and transparency in the process, and it’s unreasonable that the organizations that were supposed to work with the farmers end up working against them.
The CFIA says in a weekend statement that under the Health of Animals Act, if an owner refuses to meet the depopulation requirements outlined by the CFIA, the agency could move forward with depopulation itself or use a third-party contractor.
The authority says this could mean withholding part or all compensation for the depopulation from the owners.
The court decision says the farm could be compensated up to a maximum of $3,000 per ostrich.
The farmers’ cause has also been mentioned by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who told a New York radio show last month he was “horrified by the idea that they are going to kill these animals.”
Opponents of the cull have been shooting videos and livestreaming from the farm over the weekend, with one person saying on a video that they will take on a “much more serious long-term activism role.”
© 2025 The Canadian Press
