Food Inspection Agency Says ‘Active Operations’ at BC Ostrich Farm Have Ended

Tarpaulins cover deceased ostriches inside a holding pen at Universal Ostrich Farms near Edgewood, B.C., on Nov. 7, 2025, after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency initiated a cull of the flock. The Canadian Press/Brenna Owen

Canada’s food safety regulator says it has wrapped up “active operations” at the British Columbia ostrich farm where professional marksmen culled the flock earlier this month due to an avian flu outbreak discovered late last year.

The carcasses of 314 ostriches as well as eggs and other material at Universal Ostrich Farms near Edgewood, B.C., were disposed of “through deep burial in an approved British Columbia landfill,” according to a statement from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Parts of the farm, located roughly 150 kilometres east of Kelowna, remain under quarantine in accordance with the Health of Animals Act, the agency said. Entry into areas subject to biocontainment measures still requires CFIA permission.

Any site infected with highly pathogenic avian flu must comply with a standardized protocol for resuming operations, which includes cleaning and disinfection sanctioned by the CFIA, before quarantine measures can be lifted, the agency says.

The farm has been supplied with documentation about the requirements, CFIA said, noting that a “fallow period” may occur with government oversight following the cleaning process.

The CFIA announced what it described as the “humane depopulation” of the animals on Nov. 7, a day after the farm owners lost their bid to have their appeal against the cull heard by the country’s highest court.

The Supreme Court announced its unanimous decision on Nov. 6 to dismiss the farm’s appeal, saying the CFIA’s “stamping-out” policy was reasonable according to the applicable case law. The decision ended months of legal battles that began when the agency mandated the cull order on Dec. 31, 2024, after two bird tested positive for avian flu.

Representatives of the farm were not immediately available for comment on the latest CFIA announcement, but spokesperson Katie Pasitney took to Facebook on Nov. 13 to challenge some of the agency’s statements.

“As you will see in just these images, they did not follow protocol,” Pasitney said in a post accompanied by photos and videos of the disposal process. Pasitney said the bins used to transport the ostriches’ bodies were not sanitized or disinfected before entering public roadways.

Pasitney, the daughter of farm co-owner Karen Espersen, also said that some of the workers who could be seen near the hay-bale enclosure where the cull took place did not appear to be wearing protective clothing.

The agency noted in its Nov. 13 statement that personal protective equipment is not required outside designated zones related to the quarantine.

“Any individuals who entered the designated ‘hot’ zones wore PPE or were thoroughly disinfected upon exit,” the agency said. “All equipment was also disinfected when leaving designated zones.”

Pasitney had previously characterized the cull as inhumane and said in a Nov. 10 Facebook post that the family was forced to listen to “900 plus” gunshots throughout the culling period, which began on Nov. 6 and ended the morning of Nov. 7.

An open letter she penned to CFIA and posted online said that some of the ostriches were wounded and “left suffering until morning when a second round of gunfire was used to finish off those who survived.”

The CFIA has described the use of professional marksmen as the “most appropriate and humane option” to kill the birds. The agency said the decision was made after consulting with experts knowledgeable in handling disease outbreaks in ostriches.

A 2016 CFIA manual on culling procedures says ostriches can be killed by breaking their necks, lethal injection, gassing, or shooting. It described shooting as a method of “last resort.”

10-Month Battle

The dispute between the farm and the CFIA first began in December 2024 after the owners alerted a veterinarian about two sick birds on-site.

The CFIA contacted the farm before the owners had received a response from the vet, saying it had received an anonymous tip suggesting the flock was infected with H5N1, commonly referred to as avian influenza.

The agency obtained samples from the two ostriches, which have since died, and confirmed the presence of the virus. Sixty-nine of the animals died in the months following, although only two tested positive for avian flu.

CFIA protocol called for the slaughter and disposal of the remaining birds, but Universal Ostrich Farms successfully obtained a court injunction pending a judicial review.

The farm owners unsuccessfully challenged the cull in federal court and a judicial review was dismissed on May 13 after the judge said CFIA’s decision was both “reasonable” and “made in a procedurally fair manner.” The farm was also instructed by the courts to pay $15,000 in court costs to CFIA.

CFIA officials initially arrived at the farm on Sept. 22 with a police escort, to make arrangements for the cull, but a Supreme Court’s stay order provided the farm a temporary reprieve. The farm remained under CFIA control while awaiting the court’s decision and the cull was carried out within hours once the farm had exhausted all of its legal options.

CFIA has said its decision to destroy the birds was a bid to protect both human health and Canada’s $6.8 billion domestic poultry industry. 

CFIA said in its Nov. 13 statement that any official request for compensation regarding the loss of the flock will be evaluated in accordance with the Health of Animals Act and the Compensation for Destroyed Animals and Things Regulations (CDATR).

An agency spokesperson previously told The Epoch Times that “compensation is based on the fair market value of the animals.”

“For ostriches, compensation of up to $3,000 per bird may be awarded when there is supporting documentation,” the spokesperson said. “While compensation may not offset the emotional toll of depopulation, it can provide resources to recover and reestablish operations.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.