Nearly $7M Spent on BC Ostrich Cull, Government Data Shows

Police tape lines the perimeter of the Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C., on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, as the Canadian Food Agency prepares to cull 400 of the farm’s ostriches. The Canadian Press/Aaron Hemens

The federal government spent nearly $7 million on a cull operation involving hundreds of ostriches at a farm in B.C. over concerns of avian flu, according to new documents.

Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C., garnered international attention last year after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued a cull order for an estimated 400 ostriches at the farm. The farm unsuccessfully challenged the order in court, and the cull was completed in November 2025.