The owners of a Canadian ostrich farm are facing a difficult decision as they are served a cull order by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Despite their efforts to fight the order, officials have arrived on the farm in southeastern British Columbia to enforce it, following an outbreak of avian influenza that claimed the lives of 69 ostriches.
Katie Pasitney, whose family co-owns Universal Ostrich Farms, shared a video on Facebook showing CFIA officials informing them that they could stay overnight in the birds’ pen, but emphasizing that the agency now has control of the property. The owners have been given until the next day to leave voluntarily or face potential consequences.
The farmers have been engaged in a legal battle to save around 400 surviving ostriches, arguing that the birds are healthy and valuable for research purposes. However, the CFIA maintains that the ostriches were infected with a dangerous strain of the virus. Despite the ongoing dispute, the farmers are pushing for further testing to determine the true health status of the birds, with their lawyer making efforts to escalate the case to the Supreme Court of Canada.