Ostrich farm lawyer gives update after federal appeal to stop CFIA cull of healthy birds
Despite 400 ostriches in British Columbia recovering and showing no signs of disease for 180 days, the farmers are still in a battle to stop the Canadian Food Inspection Agency from using its outdated and rigid poultry policies as an excuse to slaughter their prehistoric herd.
On July 15, three federal appeal judges heard an unprecedented case: Universal Ostrich Farms vs. the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The judges are now tasked with deliberating whether to overturn a lower court ruling that upheld the CFIA’s plan to cull 400 healthy ostriches despite the birds having recovered and shown no signs of disease for nearly 180 days, and their antibody-rich eggs being used in groundbreaking therapeutic research to fight viruses like COVID-19.
As the farmers journeyed home from Ottawa to Edgewood, B.C., hopeful that this legal “last stand” might tip the scales in favour of farming sovereignty, I caught up with their legal counsel Umar Sheikh, who represented the farmers during the hearing.
Sheikh, whose legal work is being crowdfunded by the farm’s supporters breaks down the CFIA’s justifications for relying on rigid, poultry-based “stamping out” policy and explains what he argued in court in defence of the farm’s future.
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.
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COMMENTS
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Robert Pariseau commented 2025-07-18 17:04:28 -0400To the bureaucrat, there is no direction other than “go straight.”
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Bruce Atchison commented 2025-07-17 22:53:26 -0400Bureaucrats can be such stubborn asses. They’re the kind who won’t be told. They’re right, you’re wrong, and that’s it.
