Ostrich farm blow: CFIA denies compensation after destroying B.C. farmers' healthy flock
Nine months after slaughtering the herd, the CFIA has refused to pay Universal Ostrich Farms what could have amounted to nearly $1 million.
Nine months after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency killed hundreds of avian flu-recovered ostriches at Universal Ostrich Farms, the family is still struggling with the loss of its flock and livelihood. Now, the agency has delivered another devastating blow: it will not compensate the farm for any of the birds it destroyed.
Farm co-owner Karen Esperson shared the news with me in person as she welcomed supporters back to the Edgewood, B.C., property for a bittersweet reunion. The family wanted to bring people together at the site of one of Canada’s most controversial and costly animal culls.
OSTRICH FARM: 9 months after the CFIA culled a healthy ostrich flock, supporters gather in Edgewood to remember why their fight for farming freedom must live on.
— Drea Humphrey (@DreaHumphrey) August 16, 2026
More healing to come this week as we announce the premiere of our tell-all documentary exposing what happened at… pic.twitter.com/BvuzXheqsx
“These are all the amazing supporters that have been here from the beginning,” Esperson told Rebel News. “Everybody here today is gathered out of peace and unity and showing that we’re united and we’re going strong and we’re not giving up and we’re going to be the bird’s voices.”
But amid the music, food and familiar faces came the reality of a July 20 letter from the CFIA declaring: “Compensation will not be awarded.”
The agency cited alleged violations and offences under the Health of Animals Act, including a failure to immediately report the presence of a reportable disease, an obstruction allegation connected to arrests made in September 2025, and other incidents of alleged non-compliance.
Esperson believes the decision amounts to punishment for the family’s refusal to surrender its flock without a fight.
“What they’re doing is they’re trying to punish us for standing up and stepping up and saying, ‘Hey, maybe you shouldn’t be here in the first place,’” she said.
According to the CFIA’s own letter, the maximum compensation available for an ostrich is $3,000. Based on the 314 birds the agency says it disposed of, Universal Ostrich Farms could have received as much as $942,000.
The agency cautioned that this was only the maximum possible amount and that each bird would have required an individual valuation, potentially resulting in a lower award.
Instead, the farm, which spent 35 years developing its flock and says it remains hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt from its previous legal battle, will receive nothing.
“They’re saying we’re actually going to destroy your livelihood,” Esperson said. “To start over after 35 years of hard work, they’re trying to make it as impossible as possible.”
The farm intends to appeal the compensation decision and is raising funds for the next stage of its legal fight through Justice for the Ostriches.
“We’re not quitting, and this is where they picked with the wrong family,” Esperson said.
Rebel News is also preparing to release its tell-all documentary, Culling The Cure: The Aftermath of Canada’s Ostrich Slaughter, examining the fight to save the flock, the controversial cull and what happened to the family afterward.
The documentary premieres in Kelowna on September 18, with additional screenings to follow. Tickets and screening information are available at CullingtheCure.com.
Drea Humphrey
B.C. Bureau Chief
Based in British Columbia, Drea Humphrey reports on Western Canada for Rebel News. Drea’s reporting is not afraid to challenge political correctness, or ask the tough questions that mainstream media tends to avoid.
