B.C. ostrich farm makes international headlines

2025 was the year an ostrich farm in British Columbia caught the attention of people across Canada and the U.S., as a large flock of the birds was destroyed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in early November.

It was a long road to that point, beginning when Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood was hit by avian flu in December 2024, killing 69 birds and prompting the cull order for the remaining flock to ensure the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus wouldn’t spread.

The deadline to dispose of the birds was Feb. 1, but the order was stayed by a federal court after the farm applied for a judicial review, claiming the surviving ostriches had rare and valuable genetics.

That started a months-long legal battle — a series of stays and dismissals working their way up to the Supreme Court.

The effort caught the attention of controversial U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, who tried to intervene, as did U.S. health official and former TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz.

All the while, supporters and protesters flocked to the cause.

There were two summer Ostrich Fest concerts at the farm, with performers including Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich.

In late September, the RCMP and CFIA descended on the farm to prepare for the cull, but the court issued what would be its final stay to hear one last appeal.

Meanwhile, the Mounties investigated threats of violence against businesses that protesters felt were helping the CFIA.

On Nov. 6, the court issued its final decision, saying it would not hear the appeal, and the CFIA said it would proceed with the cull.

That night, protesters were kept at a distance while the ostriches were shot in an enclosure made of hay bales.

By the morning of Nov. 7, more than 300 ostriches had been culled, fulfilling the order first issued 10 months before.