The legal road has narrowed for the ostrich farmers of Edgewood, British Columbia. On October 8, the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed Universal Ostrich Farms' application for leave to appeal, refusing to hear its challenge to a federal cull order covering a flock of roughly 300 birds.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency ordered the cull after H5N1 avian influenza was confirmed at the farm in December 2024. The owners have fought the order ever since, arguing the surviving birds are healthy and valuable for research, while the agency maintains that stamping-out rules leave no room for exceptions.
Farm spokesperson Katie Pasloski, whose parents own the operation, said the family was saddened by the dismissal but will continue to fight to save the birds. Supporters who believe the cull is government overreach have camped at the farm and demonstrated in the nearby community.
The standoff drew a warning from the RCMP's commanding officer in B.C. that misinformation and disinformation around the case could escalate tensions, after a tense September confrontation at the property.
With the country's top court declining to intervene, the farmers' remaining options are political and administrative rather than judicial — and the fate of the flock now rests with federal officials.
