EDGEWOOD, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA – Universal's ostrich farm in Edgewood, British Columbia, spent more than 10 months protesting a Canadian Food Inspection Agency order that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of birds.
The Supreme Court of Canada is scheduled to announce Thursday morning whether it will hear a final appeal against the cull. If the agency refuses to grant leave to appeal, the stay order will be lifted and the agency may begin selection.
Here are some key dates in this long-running battle, including versions based on court decisions:
Early December 2024: An outbreak of what farmers later call “flu-like” symptoms occurs among ostriches, killing 25 to 30 people over three weeks.
December 28: The CFIA intervenes after receiving an anonymous tip about deaths on a farm that had not previously been reported. He verbally imposes quarantine.
December 31: Samples from two carcasses tested positive for H5 avian influenza, later confirmed as H5N1. Within minutes, the CFIA issues a cull order, setting February 1 as the deadline for disposal of all affected birds.
January 4-9, 2025: The farm applies for a cull exemption, saying the ostriches have “rare and valuable genetics” worthy of conservation.
January 10: CFIA denies exemption.
January 15: The farm reports the latest ostrich death, bringing the total number of birds to 69.
31 January: The Federal Court stays the cull order while it considers the farm's application for judicial review.
May 13: The farm loses its application for judicial review as the judge rules that the CFIA's decisions were “reasonable” and “procedurally fair”.
May 16-18: Hundreds of supporters gather at the farm for the Ostrich Festival music concert and protest the culling order.
May 23: US Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy Jr. writes to CFIA President Paul MacKinnon asking him to consider abandoning the ostrich cull, suggesting the birds may be valuable for study.
May 27: Farm spokeswoman Katie Pasitney said U.S. health official and former TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz had offered to save the birds by relocating them to his ranch in Florida. The farm declines the offer.
June 20: The federal appeals court stays the cull order for the second time pending an appeal.
July 11-13: The farm will host another concert featuring performers including Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Leach.
July 15: Kennedy writes to Canadian Agriculture Minister Heath Macdonald, asking that the culling be delayed so that the ostriches can be examined.
August 21: Federal appeals court unanimously rejects farm's appeal.
Sept. 6: A federal appeals court grants the farm a new stay, again delaying the execution of the birds.
Sept. 12: A Federal Court of Appeal judge says the cull should be allowed, rejecting the farm's request for another stay while it applies for review by the Supreme Court of Canada. Judge Gerald Heckman says the farm has not established that its latest proposed appeal “raises a serious or controversial issue.”
September 22: CFIA and RCMP arrive at the farm to prepare for the cull.
September 23: Pasitney and her mother Karen Espersen, who co-owns the farm, are arrested by RCMP after refusing to leave an ostrich pen. They are later released.
September 24: The Supreme Court of Canada orders another temporary stay on the cull while the farm's final appeal is heard. A farm fire chars hay bales that CFIA had placed around the ostrich enclosure.
Sept. 25: The RCMP says it is investigating “increasing threats of violence” against businesses that may or may not be assisting the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
October 4: The CFIA reports that one of the ostriches died while in its care.
October 31: The Supreme Court of Canada announces it will decide on November 6 whether it will hear the farmers' final appeal. The CFIA issues a statement refuting online speculation that it has secretly begun killing the birds, with Pasitney calling on supporters to gather at the farm ahead of the court's decision.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2025.
