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On Wednesday, I testified before this year’s National Citizens Inquiry, which asked the important question: Are farmers safe in Canada?

I was invited to speak, not as a farmer or a regulator, but as a journalist who has spent months documenting the controversial case of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s order to destroy hundreds of healthy research ostriches at a farm in Edgewood, British Columbia.

During my testimony, I explained what happened in Edgewood, who was involved, the reality of the situation versus how much of the mainstream media portrayed it, and why the story matters far beyond one rural ostrich farm.

I also discussed the climate of fear that many farmers say they are living under — where speaking out about rigid policies, mass culls of livestock and flocks, rising costs, and regulatory pressures can carry serious risks for their livelihoods and communities.

That reality, I told the inquiry, raises serious questions about transparency and accountability within Canada’s agricultural system.

Still getting the truth out.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s days of being untouchable are numbered. pic.twitter.com/eVwOhTYsoh

— Drea Humphrey (@DreaHumphrey) March 12, 2026

Toward the end of my testimony, I also shared that my colleague Sydney Fizzard and I are co-producing an investigative documentary examining the CFIA-ordered destruction of the ostriches and what the case reveals about the broader state of farming in Canada today.