Ostriches Culled at BC Farm, CFIA Says

Tarpaulins cover objects on the ground inside a holding pen at Universal Ostrich Farms near Edgewood, B.C., on Nov. 7, 2025. The pen had been filled with live ostriches a day earlier, before shooting broke out overnight, as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency began a cull of the flock. The Canadian Press/Brenna Owen

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) says it has culled the herd at a B.C. ostrich farm that was at the centre of a legal battle as the owners sought to stop the killing of their flock.

The agency confirmed the cull in a statement on Nov. 7, saying the order was part of its disease response policy after two of the birds were tested and found to be carrying avian flu in December 2024. It added that the cull was carried out by professional marksmen. 

The farm owners had challenged the cull order, saying the birds had no sign of illness, had developed immunity, and were scientifically valuable for research purposes.

Karen Espersen, the co-owner of Universal Ostrich Farms, is embraced by supporters and her daughter, Katie Pasitney, at the farm in Edgewood, B.C., after the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear the farm’s appeal against an order to cull more than 300 of its ostriches, on Nov. 6, 2025. The Canadian Press/Aaron Hemens

Numerous gunshots were heard at the Edgewood, B.C. ostrich farm early in the morning of Nov. 7, hours after the CFIA said it would move forward with plans to cull the herd following a Supreme Court decision to dismiss the appeal of the farm owners.

The agency announced it would be moving forward with the cull shortly after the court decision was handed down on the morning of Nov. 6. 

The Supreme Court’s unanimous decision to dismiss the farm’s appeal said the agency’s “stamping-out” policy was reasonable. The CFIA said the birds were found to have a strain of the avian flu that has not been identified in Canada before and is connected to a human infection in the United States.

The farm owners said that the agency’s order amounts to government overreach, and that the CFIA was ignoring the argument of natural immunity and seeking other ways to avoid killing the animals.

The MP representing the region, Scott Anderson, a Conservative, had called on the CFIA to allow updated testing in hopes of sparing the birds.

“It is increasingly clear to me and everyone else that the Ministers of Agriculture and Health need to intervene and either declare these birds research subjects or explain to Canadians why they are allowing the slaughter without testing,” Anderson said in September.

The Supreme Court of Canada granted the farm an emergency interim stay of the cull while it reviewed the appeal.

Farm spokesperson Katie Pasitney, the daughter of one of the co-owners of the farm, posted a tearful update to social media after the court’s decision to dismiss the farm’s appeal went public.

“This is what pain looks like, Canada. She’s going to lose everything she’s ever loved for 35 years,” Pasitney said in a video posted to Facebook, referring to her mother, who could be seen crying in the background. “That’s what pain looks like when the government fails you.”

The CFIA said that its order was carried out to ensure public health.

“The Federal Court of Canada previously determined that the Agency’s decisions were reasonable based on the evidentiary record and were made in a procedurally fair manner,” the agency said.

The ostrich farm gained international attention, with large groups of protesters camping at the farm for months.

Ostriches eat their feed at the Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C., on May 17, 2025. The Canadian Press/Aaron Hemens

Court Battle

The battle over the cull order started in December 2024 after the farm owners notified a veterinarian about two sick birds at the farm. The CFIA was in touch with the farm owners before they heard back from the vet. The agency said it received an anonymous tip the birds may have avian flu, H5N1.

The agency collected samples from the two sick birds, which confirmed they had avian flu. The birds have since died, and 69 animals died in the months following. Only two tested positive for H5N1.

The farm owners said they believe the virus was brought to the farm by migrating ducks.

The CFIA protocol called for the rest of the herd to be culled, but the farm owners obtained a court injunction pending a judicial review, saying the birds have developed immunity and that they’re needed for scientific research. The judicial review was dismissed on May 13. The farm owners appealed the decision.

The farm owners will be offered compensation for the destroyed animals in accordance with the Health of Animals Act and under the Compensation for Destroyed Animals and Things Regulations, which could be up to $3,000 for each bird.

The farm said it has 399 ostriches. CFIA has said its estimates put the count at between 300 and 330.

Jennifer Cowan and The Canadian Press contributed to this article.