RCMP say they made a third arrest at the B.C. ostrich farm that has been at the centre of a legal battle over a cull order for its more than 300 birds.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has been at Universal Ostrich Farms since September, following a federal appeals court decision that upheld a cull order for the birds at the farm that the agency issued in December 2024, after two of the birds tested positive for avian flu. Between Dec. 15, 2024, and Jan. 15, 2025, 69 of the ostriches on the farm died after becoming sick. The owners argue the birds are healthy, have immunity to the virus, and have scientific value.
Jim Kerr was arrested under the Health of Animals Act on Oct. 17, with police alleging he interfered with CFIA workers at the farm. The RCMP alleged that Kerr had “breached the perimeter” of farm property that is “subject to a CFIA search warrant.” Police said the man was later released on conditions not to attend the property.
“Jim did what anybody would have done, and that was pushing food under the fence because they were hungry, they wanted the food,” she said.
She added that, as a result, the CFIA moved the birds away from the fence. Pasitney advised people not to “break that blue fence barrier.”
RCMP said the investigation remains ongoing.
Social media video shows Kerr, also known as “Poppa Bubble” on social media, being handcuffed by police outside the farm gates.
It is the third arrest RCMP have made at the farm, including the Sept. 23 arrest of Pasitney and her mother, Karen Espersen. The two were arrested after refusing to leave the ostrich pen, and were later released.
The RCMP said its presence at the farm was “ongoing” at the request of CFIA, but noted it was “committed to remaining impartial” and to keeping the peace.
The farm has gained international attention, with several U.S. public figures demonstrating support for the farm, including U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, American billionaire John Catsimatidis, and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. They have all urged Canada to stop the cull order.
The CFIA says the birds are a risk to humans and other animals as they have a strain of the avian flu that has not been identified in Canada before. The agency also says that the strain has been connected to a human infection in the United States. It added that it is following the “stamping out” policy of the World Organization for Animal Health to prevent the disease from spreading.
The agency previously advised the public about obstructing or hindering workers on the farm, saying it could result in “enforcement measures or prosecution.”
It also said the airspace above the farm was restricted, including for drones, due to a notice from Transport Canada. CFIA said violations could result in fines or jail time.
