Panic has washed over supporters of the Universal Ostrich Farm, as a convoy that includes members of the RCMP and Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) arrived in the early morning hours.
In several live streams starting at 4 a.m., spokesperson Katie Pasitney said the power had been shut off to the bird enclosure.
“Here they come. Please pray for our family and our farm,” she said online before attempting to calm a suddenly agitated herd of birds. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”
The CFIA ordered the killings after 69 members of the ostrich flock died in December 2024 and January 2025, and avian flu was detected in the carcasses.
Rumors had swirled for weeks about when the CFIA could descend on the farm. The agency never responded to media requests about when it would carry out the slaughter.
Monday morning, the police confirmed they were on the farm alongside the CFIA.
“The RCMP has been requested to attend the farm by the lead agency, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), who was granted lawful authority to execute a search warrant,” an RCMP representative said in an email.
“Our primary role is to keep the peace and enforce the law while CFIA agents conduct their business.”
The Edgewood property has been locked in a nine-month battle over the cull order.
The ordeal has escalated into an international controversy that has drawn support from high-ranking U.S. officials, including U.S. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz, and the Trump administration.
The family argues their ostriches have developed natural immunity after surviving the initial outbreak, with 251 days (as of September 22) passing without any symptoms of illness. They’ve proposed innovative solutions, including reclassifying ostriches from poultry to red meat flightless birds, which could remove them from strict poultry regulations.
The legal battle reached a crucial point during a recent appeal hearing in Ottawa in July. But in late August, the Federal Court of Appeal rejected the farm’s bid to prevent the cull, which was originally ordered by the agency last December.
The CFIA said the cull is necessary because exposed flocks create an opportunity for the virus to mutate.
On its website, the agency said “specific operational plans and dates will not be shared with the public in advance.”
