British Columbia: Canada’s Supreme Court has temporarily halted the planned execution of nearly 400 ostriches at a farm in British Columbia, following an appeal by the owners against a cull order issued after an avian flu outbreak.
The court’s decision, issued by Justice Michelle O’Bonsawin, requires the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to maintain custody of the birds and provide veterinary care, while barring the farm owners from interfering until the appeal is considered. The CFIA must respond to the appeal by October 3.
The case has drawn international attention, with US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy earlier urging the CFIA to study the birds instead of culling them. Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the US Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services, even offered to rehome the ostriches at his Florida ranch, an offer the farm rejected.
The farm’s owners, Katie Pastiney and her mother Karen Espersen of Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, were briefly arrested for obstructing CFIA officers, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Officers accompanied inspectors under a search warrant due to ‘increased tensions’ and ‘protests’ on the property.
Pastiney accused officials of using hay bales to corral the ostriches, posting a video online that showed CFIA enclosures being built on the farm. Hours later, part of the hay wall caught fire, with firefighters called to the scene. The cause of the blaze remains unclear.
The CFIA had initially ordered the mass cull in December after 69 ostriches died from avian flu on the farm. The agency argued that allowing the flock to remain posed risks of mutation, reassortment, and wider transmission of the virus, potentially endangering public health.
Despite a Federal Court of Appeal ruling on September 12 that the cull could proceed, the Supreme Court’s intervention provides a reprieve. Protesters have gathered at the farm in support of the owners’ months-long legal fight to save their ostriches.
The outcome of the appeal will determine whether the birds face culling or find an alternative resolution backed by the growing number of high-profile international supporters.
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