Police Converge on B.C. Ostrich Farm as Avian Flu Cull Battle Intensifies

Police and CFIA Descend on Edgewood Ostrich Farm Amid Avian Flu Controversy

The quiet rural community of Edgewood, B.C. awoke on Monday to an extraordinary scene: convoys of police vehicles and Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) trucks lined the roads leading to Universal Ostrich Farm. The farm, home to nearly 400 ostriches, has been at the center of an escalating public and legal battle since last December’s outbreak of avian flu killed 69 birds. Now, with the CFIA prepared to enforce a court-ordered cull of the remaining flock, tensions have reached a fever pitch.

At the heart of the standoff is farm spokesperson Katie Pasitney, who took to Facebook Live before sunrise, her voice echoing both defiance and distress. “Please help protect our farm. Please help protect these innocent animals… that have never been tested,” she pleaded to thousands of followers, as the power to the bird enclosure was shut off and a growing police presence surrounded the property. The spectacle, broadcast in real time, captured the attention of supporters across Canada and beyond.

Legal Battles, Search Warrants, and a Divided Community

The events unfolding on Monday were months in the making. Following the avian flu outbreak, the CFIA ordered the entire flock destroyed, citing the risk posed by a particularly lethal strain of the virus. The farm owners, however, argued that their ostriches had scientific value and, crucially, had recovered and remained healthy. They launched a series of legal challenges, winning support from public figures—including a letter from U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who urged the CFIA to reconsider in the hope of studying the birds’ immune response.

Despite these appeals, the courts sided with the CFIA. The Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal both dismissed the farm’s bids to halt the cull, and just last week denied another stay as the farm prepares to apply for leave to the Supreme Court of Canada by October 3. With three search warrants in hand, the CFIA and RCMP arrived at the farm to enforce the order.

Pasitney, speaking for the farm, made clear their stance against violence and their commitment to peaceful resistance. “We invited police in to take that person out,” she explained during her live stream, referencing an incident that had heightened police concern. “We do not stand for violence and anyone who does is not following our lead.” The RCMP, meanwhile, emphasized their role as peacekeepers. “Our primary role is to keep the peace and enforce the law while CFIA agents conduct their business,” an RCMP representative stated in an email, quoted by The Canadian Press.

Supporters Mobilize and Opposition Grows

The drama at Universal Ostrich Farm did not unfold in isolation. In the days leading up to the expected cull, farm supporters gathered at the property, answering the call for help. Conservative commentator Chris Sanders posted a video offering to relocate the ostriches to safe havens in Oklahoma, Texas, and South Dakota, rallying truck drivers to join the rescue effort. The momentum even reached local businesses: Clearway Car and Truck Rentals, whose vehicles had been rented by CFIA, publicly demanded the return of their trucks after learning of their intended use, declaring, “We do not support or condone these actions.”

The farm’s plight sparked debate far beyond Edgewood. For some, it was a matter of animal welfare—a massacre of healthy birds. For others, it was a necessary public health measure, especially given the uncertainty surrounding the virus’s spread. Court documents filed by CFIA argued that the risk of infection remained unknown and the situation was too grave to gamble.

Science, Policy, and the Human Element

This standoff is about more than ostriches. It is a microcosm of the tension between scientific inquiry and the imperative of public safety. Kennedy’s letter to the CFIA president asserted there could be “significant value” in studying the ostriches’ immune response, hinting at lessons for future outbreaks. The farm’s owners echoed this sentiment, insisting their birds had survived and could yield vital data.

Yet the machinery of government moved forward. The CFIA, armed with legal authority and supported by the RCMP, pushed ahead with the cull. Waste disposal trucks rolled onto the property, their presence a stark reminder of the finality of the process. The farm’s legal team continued to fight, but the window for appeal narrowed with each passing hour.

Edgewood Watches, and Canada Debates

As the sun rose over Edgewood, the community found itself at the intersection of law, science, and emotion. The spectacle of live-streamed police convoys, impassioned pleas, and the looming cull forced Canadians to confront uncomfortable questions: When does the threat of disease outweigh the value of animal life? How should scientific potential be weighed against the risks of contagion?

For the Pasitney family and their supporters, the farm is more than a business—it is a cause. Their struggle has galvanized animal welfare advocates and sparked heated debate online. For authorities, the mandate is clear: protect public health, enforce the law, and bring closure to a crisis nearly a year in the making.

As of Monday morning, the fate of Universal Ostrich Farm remains uncertain. The birds, the legal battles, and the community’s hopes rest on a last-ditch appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. The outcome will not only shape the future of one family farm but will resonate across Canada as a test of how the country balances science, compassion, and safety.

In the midst of this high-stakes standoff, the Universal Ostrich Farm’s struggle is not merely a local drama but a national test of priorities. The coming days will reveal whether the machinery of public health prevails or if a window opens for scientific exploration and animal welfare. What is clear is that Canada is watching—and learning—from the crossroads of compassion and caution.