Neighbours who are also family, living next to Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C., have launched a civil lawsuit against the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the RCMP.

According to a Notice of Civil Claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court, plaintiffs Alyson Turnbull, Trevor Klug and Margaret Greba allege federal authorities wrongfully included their land in enforcement actions tied to CFIA’s operation to mass cull avian flu recovered ostriches at Greba’s sister, Karen Espersen’s neighbouring farm.

Ally Turnbull, neighbor and niece of the ostrich farm owner, signals the CFIA and their hired guns, after the state seized her family’s land too, destroyed their crop, and slaughtered the ostriches she loved growing up next to. pic.twitter.com/DkRFPHbEFh

— Drea Humphrey (@DreaHumphrey) November 8, 2025

The claim states that RCMP and CFIA officers arrived when they were absent, and served Espersen with warrants that included the Plaintiffs’ property creating the illusion without evidence that the Property is an ostrich farm, even though the plaintiffs say they were not involved in the farm’s operations or the activities cited in the warrant.

The lawsuit further alleges that the defendants failed to provide a factual basis for the warrants and continued to occupy the land despite demands to vacate. A case officer reportedly acknowledged the warrant authorized entry but not occupation, with the claim stating the agencies nevertheless maintained a continuous presence.

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The plaintiffs allege that from Sept. 22 to Nov. 13, 2025, the RCMP occupied the property “24 hours a day,” with CFIA staff, contractors and agents also present. The claim describes the occupation as “high-handed, capricious, and arbitrary,” and alleges repeated trespass despite verbal objections and posted signage.

Among the more serious allegations, the plaintiffs claim the CFIA and RCMP disabled video surveillance systems, restricted the owners' right to enter or monitor their own land, restricted them from effectively harvesting their crops, dispersed so-called contaminated hay across the property, and damaged land.

“The property is now marred and damaged by deep ruts and pathways created by the RCMP and CFIA.” The claim reads.

The notice also alleges that the plaintiffs were mocked and ridiculed while attempting to protect their property rights and says the conduct caused mental distress.

“We were forced to go through an armed checkpoint just to enter and exit our own property, showing ID, waiting for permission, and dealing with shifting levels of aggression at our own gate.” said Aly Turnbull, in a statement provided to Rebel News.

“We lived beside weeks of visible animal suffering that ended in sudden gunfire without warning. Our sense of safety and
privacy were completely shattered, and we are still distraught that our land was used to facilitate something so horrific” she further stated.

The filing comes as scrutiny continues over the federal government’s handling of the Ostrich slaughter, where hundreds of healthy birds were destroyed on Nov 6-7th 2025, despite surviving the avian flu they contracted a year prior.

With the help of donations from the public, Rebel News is currently producing an investigative documentary probing into the nearly $7 million “cull” operation and the sweeping animal-health powers that used to perform other destructions across the country.