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It’s been over three weeks since the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), backed by the RCMP, descended on Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood, B.C., to enforce a contested cull order of their healthy flock. Now, two farm supporters have been arrested within days of each other as frustration grows over what many believe to be the neglect of hundreds of healthy ostriches.

As first reported by Chris Dacey of Dacey Media, Jim Kerr was arrested on Friday, October 17, following an incident the day before that was captured on video.

In the footage, Kerr is seen on the opposite side of the large blue Super Save fencing erected to separate CFIA agents and the birds from the farmers and their supporters.

Kerr did not cross the designated quarantine line and could be seen pushing spilled grain through the fence so that the ostriches who were struggling to eat it through the fence could more easily access the feed. Kerr says his actions were out of concern for the animals' well-being.

Today, Kerr released a video update following his release to explain his side of what occurred. According to Kerr, he’s been charged with contravening Section 35 of the Health of Animals Act and obstruction of justice charges he says he doesn't understand.

“I’ve watched the behaviour of these birds. I’ve seen how they operate. I’ve seen, you know, how they feed, and it’s never been like this,” said Kerr, who’s been on the farm for extended periods since April, livestreaming updates in support of the farmers.

He described being disturbed by the way roughly 20 ostriches scrambled to try to access the misplaced grain before he took action.

“You don’t get 20 birds scrambling over a little bit of food like this,” said Kerr, adding that the farmers previously fed the flock 26 five-gallon buckets of food per day.

Universal Ostrich Farms’ Katie Pasitney, who was arrested last month alongside her mother, Karen Espersen, after they continued feeding and caring for the birds, shares Kerr’s concern about the animals' care.

“I understand why he did it. And that's the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, pushing good people to do things like that. Because we're all sitting by watching the neglect of the animals and how hungry they are,” Pasitney told Rebel News. “I have a huge respect for Jim, but the decision that he made on a live to do that had ramifications. And now, the ostriches got moved, so we can't even get them any grain.”

Pasitney said the farmers have no idea how much the CFIA is feeding the ostriches now, but based on video footage, it’s clearly less than what the birds were getting before the seizure.

“We have no idea why they are not being transparent. And how much they are feeding. From all the videos, it's very clear. They're not feeding the amount that we do. Coming into colder winter weather, they need their grain. They need that extra energy to stay warm and get prepared for winter," she said.

The distrust of the agency and calls for it to be more transparent also stem from leaked footage, which captured one of the farm's then-injured hens, named Spirit, appearing to be neglected, left alone to die from dehydration while in their custody.

To make matters worse, more footage soon came out, which appeared to show CFIA agents only pretending to administer the life-saving electrolytes that the farmers begged the agency to give Spirit before she died. 

“There's a lack of clear communication. We can only communicate with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency via email. They are supposed to be caring for the animals—just like we would care for them. But obviously they are not doing so.”

When asked for comment about the second supporter, Mike Quigley's, arrest this week, Pasitney said she is unaware of the details, as it did not take place on the farm.

Quigley, another frequent supporter known for his upbeat attitude and trademark shirts featuring messages about “hugs” and “saving the birds,” was arrested on Thursday, October 16.

Rebel News reached out to Quigley for comment. While he declined to give a full statement as he wishes to first speak with counsel, he did offer the following brief statement: “Love wins over hate.”

Nakusp RCMP has only provided a public statement on one of the two arrests, which appears to be addressing Kerr’s, though they have not named him directly.

Rebel News has requested further information about both arrests, but has not received a response by the time of publication.

Last month, the farm was granted an interim stay order, which temporarily paused the CFIAs' kill mission for their 300+ birds, who have been healthy and asymptomatic for over 270 days. The CFIA insists they must die due to an avian flu that allegedly passed through the herd last year.

The farm, its supporters, and the CFIA eagerly await the Supreme Court's decision as to whether the court will grant the farm the ability to pursue its fight against the cull in the high court, or if the state will get the green light to move forward with the slaughter.