Dozens of protesters have gathered at the Universal Ostrich Farm in Inonoaklin Valley, BC, where the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has ordered 400 ostriches to be killed. The CFIA ordered the “culling” after an avian flu outbreak was detected in December 2024. The owners of the farm have explicitly said the birds are not farmed for consumption. The farm once produced eggs, meat and creams, before its owners pivoted to research during the COVID-19 pandemic. The farm, the largest of its kind in Canada, lost dozens of birds to the H5N1 virus late last year, but owners Karen Espersen and Dave Bilinski argue the surviving flock is now healthy and could offer valuable insights into combating the disease. Despite their efforts, a Federal Court ruling on May 13 upheld the CFIA’s cull order, as the Western Standard earlier reported, prompting a wave of public support and protests at the farm.On Wednesday, about 40 supporters converged on the Edgewood property in a show of solidarity with the family-owned farm. According to Drea Humphrey of Rebel News there are dozens of protesters again on Thursday. .In a video posted on Facebook, Espersen urged supporters to “surround our farm so CFIA cannot come kill these beautiful healthy animals,” emphasizing the flock’s recovery and their role in bioscience research, including studies with scientists in Japan and the US.Kyle Kemper, the half-brother of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, expressed disbelief in a social media post, pointing out the ostriches are “not even used for human consumption” but rather, “they’ve been crucial to a groundbreaking collaboration with Japan’s Kyoto Prefectural University.”“Through this partnership, scientists and the university’s president, Dr. Yasuhiro Tsukamoto, have been successfully extracting antibodies from the birds robust eggs in an effort to further interventions to the avian flu that's supposedly the reason for ordering the killing of the birds and millions upon millions of others like them,” wrote Kemper.“But such progress doesn’t align with the $590 million grant Moderna just received to develop mRNA vaccines for bird flu, does it?”.The protest was described as a “peaceful” and “united front” by farm spokesperson Katie Pasitney, according to the Vancouver Sun. A convoy to protest the cull has since been advertized, and recent posts on X suggest the movement has gained traction, with some calling the farm a “front line” for broader agricultural rights..The CFIA defends the cull, citing the risk of the virus persisting in exposed poultry, especially in open-pasture settings where wild birds could spread it further.The agency’s “Stamping-Out Policy” mandates depopulating entire flocks to prevent reassortment or mutation of the virus. Federal Court Justice Russell Zinn, while expressing sympathy for the farmers, ruled that the CFIA followed proper procedure and that courts should defer to the agency’s expertise on such matters.The farm is entitled to up to $3,000 per bird in compensation, but Espersen says the loss of their 25-year-old business and unique herd, which can live up to 30 years, is irreparable..Critics, including the Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA) and Animal Justice, have slammed the CFIA’s approach. The CSSA speaking to the Western Standard on the matter called it “government overreach” and questioned the reliance on PCR tests from two dead birds without autopsies..Animal Justice’s Kaitlyn Mitchell urged a pause, arguing that the surviving birds’ health warrants reevaluation, according to CTV. The Regional District of Central Kootenay has prepared its Castlegar landfill to handle the culled ostriches, with a certificate issued in January, though no specific cull date has been confirmed..As the CFIA prepares for “humane depopulation,” the farm’s supporters remain defiant, with some vowing to block federal authorities. BC Agriculture Minister Lana Popham expressed sympathy but deferred to the CFIA’s jurisdiction, according to the CBC.
