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In a piece of good news following the November 6th massacre of Universal Ostrich Farms' healthy flock in Edgewood, British Columbia, the legal troubles of a long-time supporter of the farm have ended after the Crown decided not to pursue criminal charges against him.

In October, Mike Quigley, who was one of two supporters arrested on the farm for separate incidents, was charged with criminal harassment and intimidation under section 423.1 of the Criminal Code, as well as obstructing or hindering an inspector.

Quigley, who would often be seen wearing shirts offering hugs and encouraging messages, previously refrained from publicly commenting on his arrest beyond “love wins over hate,” but now describes his ordeal as a colossal misunderstanding beginning with him following the motorhome of CFIA officials who had left the farm.

“I really just wanted to sit down, have a cup of coffee, and listen to what their narrative was,” Quigley told Rebel News. “That’s honestly where all of this came from.”

Quigley said he saw the motorhome leaving the farm after being stationed there for weeks to house Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) officials waiting for the Supreme Court to make their decision as to whether or not the agency could cull the flock. The herd of over 300 avian flu-recovered ostriches had contracted the virus a year prior.

When the vehicle pulled over multiple times, he says he did the same, hoping to finally have a conversation.

“We thought the motorhome was leaving, and I was looking forward to talking,” he said. “They pulled over, so I pulled over beside them to see if we could have a conversation.”

On the fourth stop, Quigley exited his vehicle and was met by RCMP officers, who informed him he was under arrest.

Despite the seriousness of the allegations, Quigley said his interaction with police was respectful.

“I actually had a good rapport with the officers,” he said. “They were very congenial and very respectful.”

Quigley even recalls the arrest with humour.

“They tried one set of handcuffs on me, realized I’m old and fat, and brought another,” he said. “I asked if I could get three cuffs. They said they’d never done that before. I said, ‘Well, there’s always a first.’"

Quigley added that once transferred to the RCMP holding and command centre set up down the road from the farm, he believes officers allowed him to briefly look inside several blue bins on site—something he says helped ease concerns held by farmers and supporters who feared carcasses were being concealed.

“I can’t say for certain what their intent was,” Quigley said, “but I believe they knew there were concerns and allowed me to see that there were no ostrich carcasses in those bins.”

The CFIA has maintained that it seized between 300 and 330 birds and killed 314 ostriches on site.

While Quigley said he was not personally worried about the charges, he acknowledged the stress weighed heavily on his family, particularly his eldest daughter, a lawyer living in the United States, who was concerned that the charges could result in travel restrictions.

“I came to the conclusion that this was outside my pay grade,” Quigley said. “When you’re up against the WHO [World Health Organization], the WOAH [World Organisation for Animal Health], the Canadian government, the CFIA, and the RCMP, you realize how big this really is.”

While hard on his family, Quigley said he found a silver lining in the test of his faith, which he says was strengthened during the period of uncertainty.

“Being part of the Universal Ostrich Farm situation has strengthened my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ more than ever,” he said. “You really see good versus evil.”

With restrictions now lifted, Quigley says he’s looking forward to returning to the farm. “I want to thank the owners of Universal Ostrich Farms for allowing me to be a guest on their property,” he said. “And I want to make sure this government does not grind this family into the ground financially.”

Another supporter arrested during the CFIA operation, Jim Kerr, remains in legal limbo regarding his charges. After several days of farmers and supporters raising concerns over ostrich neglect while under the agency’s control, Kerr was arrested for sliding grain underneath a pen fence that the nearby ostriches were eager to eat.

“No news yet,” Kerr said. “I was charged with obstruction of police and section 35 of the Animal Health Act. I don’t yet have another court date.”

Reflecting on his time at the farm before he, too, was restricted from returning, Kerr said his role evolved with the fight.

“I went from reporter, to camp mediator, to helping Katie with social media — starting the UOF Facebook group and online promotions — and then back to reporter toward the end,” he said. He added that documenting what happened from inside the camp became a priority.

Still healing from the senseless slaughter, both Kerr and Quigley are now looking ahead to a “Christmas Miracle Special” livestream hosted on Chris Dacey’s X account, expected to take place between 5 and 6 p.m. PST on Christmas Eve.

Quigley, who is helping organize the event, says it is meant to bring people together. The livestream will also feature a live auction, with 100% of proceeds going toward helping the farmers cover ongoing expenses, including legal bills incurred while trying to save their livestock and livelihoods.