The Universal Ostrich Farm in Edgewood was in a celebratory mood late Wednesday morning after owners learned the Supreme Court of Canada granted an interim stay of a cull ordered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
In response, the CFIA said it will remain on site at the farm and continue to control the property while it files an appeal.
The agency said it will care for the ostriches during the appeal process, noting that search warrants authorizing CFIA control of specific properties remain in effect. Access to those areas is restricted without agency approval.
The CFIA warned that anyone interfering with the birds could face arrest under the Health of Animals Act.
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Early morning fire scorches haybale corral on ostrich farm
A fire damaged a hay wall used to corral ostriches at the Universal Ostrich Farm early Wednesday as the CFIA moves closer to carrying out a cull of nearly 400 birds.
Emergency crews were dispatched shortly before 4 a.m. and found hay bales engulfed in flames. Firefighters contained the blaze after several hours. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, which is believed to be suspicious.
Ostriches could still be seen wandering behind the damaged wall as crews worked on the site.
“The RCMP would like to emphasize that the CFIA is the lead agency in this dispute. We are an impartial party and are committed to ensuring public safety, police officer safety, and preservation of the rights of individuals to their freedoms of expression, association and mobility, as guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” said B.C. RCMP in a press release.
“The police will take action on a case-by-case basis, with a focus on enforcement should there be any criminal activities that pose a threat to the safety of individuals or property.”
The wall had been erected Tuesday afternoon, shortly before two leading figures in the nine-month-long dispute were arrested.
Katie Pasitney and her mother, Karen Espersen, were detained after entering ostrich pens. Pasitney later said in a livestream video that they were only trying to feed the birds.
“We just wanted to feed our animals so that they got fed properly while there was going to be all these strangers and loud noises,” Katie Pasitney said.
“We sat in the pens waiting for that confirmation. We were not looking to get arrested.”
In an earlier livestream, an RCMP officer warned Pasitney that she and her mother had to leave the pens or be removed by force.
In a statement, RCMP confirmed the pair had been detained for obstructing CFIA agents.
Meanwhile, RCMP said they are investigating multiple threats against businesses linked to the CFIA.
Reports of these threats began on Monday, Sept. 22, on the same day as CFIA’s first attendance at the farm to perform their duties. Businesses across British Columbia reported phone calls and emails with intimidating language warning against co-operation with the CFIA. Some businesses have been targeted in error.
By Wednesday, Sept. 24, these threats of violence escalated. A business in the Lower Mainland reported receiving threats of having their offices shot, their employees threatened with being followed and being shot at their residences.
“The RCMP has also received complaints from businesses in the area of threats, intimidation and harassment due to the dispute,” said B.C. RCMP.
“We are investigating these incidents and will take steps to ensure that those who unlawfully interfere with or threaten the safety of any person or property may be held accountable in accordance with the laws of Canada.”
By Wednesday, Sept. 24, threats had escalated. A Lower Mainland business reported being threatened with gun violence against its office and staff.
“[The] CFIA served us with search warrants at the fence. No emotion, no empathy, no heart.” Pasitney said in a separate video on her Facebook page after speaking with a CFIA. “If we do not leave the property we will be arrested then removed from the property. They have now increased our quarantine zone into three separate properties and told us that one section was a burial zone.”
The family argues their ostriches have developed natural immunity after surviving the initial outbreak, with 254 days passing without any symptoms of illness.
They’ve proposed innovative solutions, including reclassifying ostriches from poultry to red meat flightless birds, which could remove them from strict poultry regulations.
The legal battle reached a crucial point during a recent appeal hearing in Ottawa in July. But in late August, the Federal Court of Appeal rejected the farm’s bid to prevent the cull, which was originally ordered by the agency last December.
The CFIA said the cull is necessary because exposed flocks create an opportunity for the virus to mutate.
On its website, the agency said “specific operational plans and dates will not be shared with the public in advance.”
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