The federal government has slapped a $10,000 fine on Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, British Columbia, closing out a months-long legal fight over an avian flu response that saw the entire ostrich flock killed without individual testing.

A federal tribunal upheld the penalty, siding with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which accused the farm of failing to comply with reporting and disease-control requirements under the Health of Animals Act.

The dispute began after avian influenza was detected on the property. Rather than test each bird, the CFIA ordered all remaining ostriches destroyed, nearly a year after the first signs of the flu, including birds the owners said showed no symptoms and posed no risk.

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Courts repeatedly deferred to federal authority, and the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear a final appeal, clearing the way for both the cull and the fine.