SPITEFUL: Feds fine B.C. ostrich farm $10K after killing entire flock without testing

A recent federal tribunal ruling siding with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is adding insult to injury for Universal Ostrich Farms.

 

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.

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.

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Sheila Gunn Reid

Chief Reporter

Sheila Gunn Reid is the Editor-in-Chief, Alberta Bureau Chief, member of the board of directors, and host of The Gunn Show at Rebel News. Sheila also serves as President of the Independent Press Gallery of Canada. A mother of three and longtime conservative activist, Sheila is the author of bestselling books, including her most recent release, Independence Blueprint: What Alberta Can Learn From Quebec.

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COMMENTS

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  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2026-01-16 19:31:30 -0500
    Let’s keep sending these farmers donations to help them in their legal fight. After all, it may be us and our pets at risk of government tyranny. Let’s not be like Mr. Nimuller and wait for them to come to us in the end. I apologize if I spelled that man’s name wrong.
  • Cornelis Balvert
    commented 2026-01-16 18:45:12 -0500
    I am so disgusted with the federal government. Canada has a totalitarian government in the Liberals.
  • Bernhard Jatzeck
    commented 2026-01-16 17:25:12 -0500
    This is adding insult to injury.
  • Ruth Bard
    commented 2026-01-16 17:08:54 -0500
    Will this vendetta never end? Stay strong, farmers.