Overview

• RCMP liaison officers visited Universal Ostrich Farm in Edgewood, B.C., to ensure any enforcement of the CFIA-ordered cull remains lawful and peaceful.
• Protesters have set up camp on the farm, vowing to stay indefinitely to prevent the cull of approximately 400 ostriches, which they claim are healthy and asymptomatic.
• The CFIA remains firm on proceeding with the cull under the Health of Animals Act, citing biosecurity risks, while refusing to disclose the timing of the operation.
• The farm owners argue the birds have developed herd immunity and are valuable for genetic research, disputing the CFIA’s $3,000-per-bird compensation offer.
• Local landfills have refused to accept ostrich carcasses without further avian flu testing, adding logistical complications to the planned cull.