Just days after supporters gathered at Universal Ostrich Farms to help clean up the aftermath of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's controversial $7-million ostrich cull, the family says it is once again facing government overreach.

Despite the agency's controversial destruction of the avian flu-recovered flock in November 2025, the family says it is still being prevented from effectively cleaning up the former kill-pen site. The scene of the cull left behind by the state includes large piles of hay, including some blood-soaked bales and ammunition that the family says can pose a combustion risk to the community.

"They left us with no income. They left us with no means to be able to do anything... We decided we can't wait anymore, and we decided to take this on our own," farm co-owner Karen Espersen told Rebel News when I interviewed her about this latest challenge.

According to Espersen, the farm made repeated pleas to government agencies for help cleaning up the mess, but to no avail. Believing they had satisfied what they understood to be the CFIA's 180-day post-cull quarantine requirement, the family welcomed supporters to come help tackle the massive cleanup effort.

Realizing that even with the first attempts to clean they were only scratching the surface, Espersen made a final plea to the CFIA for assistance.

Instead of receiving help, the family received an email from the CFIA stating that the quarantine remained in effect and warning that "no movement of vehicles, equipment, or things, out of or into, the biocontainment zones can occur without a CFIA licence."

BREAKING OSTRICH MASSACRE:

It appears the CFIA slaughtered the entire flock of healthy ostriches through the night.

This is a sad day for Canada.

Footage to follow & Background: https://t.co/ziF2wnLm2P pic.twitter.com/dsMnw9297V

— Drea Humphrey (@DreaHumphrey) November 7, 2025

The agency further warned that violations "may result in enforcement actions," including administrative monetary penalties or prosecution. Espersen says the response stunned the family, particularly after supporters had already begun helping with cleanup efforts.

Go Ad Free

"They said if we were to remove any hay and anybody or equipment that wants to come onto the property now needed a permit. So now they have to give up all their personal information. They have to have their equipment, everything listed with the CFIA," said Espersen. 

"Everybody that was coming for during the week to actually help us, I had to contact each person. They said, we're trying to get this sorted out. I don't know how we could still be in a quarantine after the way they conducted their quarantine while they were here. And everybody had pets and everybody said, 'I'm so sorry, but we cannot put our name down for CFIA. We don't trust them.'"

But that isn't the only example of alleged government overreach emerging seven months after the cull.

I also interviewed Espersen's niece, Alyson Turnbull, whose family is still seeking justice after their neighbouring property was seized and occupied by the CFIA and RCMP for more than 50 days during the operation.

During our conversation, Turnbull pointed to what she alleges are false statements contained in the RCMP's response to her family's lawsuit, including claims regarding accommodations made for her mother's epilepsy.

"We have video of everything that we put in our lawsuit. We made sure that I didn't put anything in there that I don't have proof of," Turnbull told Rebel News.

These latest developments come as Rebel News is in the final production phase of our feature-length documentary examining the destruction of hundreds of ostriches, Culling the Cure.

If you would like to support independent journalism and help bring this documentary to audiences across Canada and beyond, please donate what you can at CullingTheCure.com.