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3h ago

Supreme Court Rejects Ostrich Farm Appeal, Clearing Way for CFIA Cull

The ruling leaves intact lower-court decisions that endorsed the CFIA’s stamping-out approach to H5N1 at the Edgewood farm.

Image
Signs protesting the cull line the fences that surround the farm.
Ostriches are seen at Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C., on May 17.
Police vehicles are pictured at the Universal Ostrich Farms property in Edgewood, B.C., this morning.

Overview

  • The Supreme Court dismissed the farm’s application and refused leave to appeal, unanimously rejecting a bid to add new evidence and removing the last judicial stay on the cull.
  • The CFIA ordered disposal of the flock on Dec. 31, 2024 after lab tests confirmed H5N1 in carcasses, and later denied an exemption request; both decisions were upheld in Federal Court and on appeal.
  • Roughly 300 ostriches remain under CFIA control at the property, with RCMP present to support enforcement as agency staff manage the flock on-site.
  • The farm argues surviving birds show herd immunity and should be preserved for research, while the CFIA maintains apparently healthy birds can still transmit avian influenza.
  • A 2016 internal CFIA manual released through access-to-information outlines euthanasia methods for large birds, drawing scrutiny of how any cull could be carried out.