RCMP speak to protesters at B.C. ostrich farm, warn of possible arrests as bird cull looms

Andrew Kurjata · CBC News

· Posted: May 21, 2025 3:31 PM EDT | Last Updated: May 21

RCMP visited a B.C. ostrich workplace connected Wednesday, wherever dozens of radical person gathered to protestation the ordered culling of 400 birds, which a national justice ruled past week could spell ahead.

The farm's owners person been warring the bid from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) since December, when some of their birds archetypal tested affirmative for avian flu.

On Wednesday, 4 officers, immoderate wearing uniforms identifying them arsenic liaison officers, visited Universal Ostrich successful Edgewood, B.C., portion reporters from CBC/Radio-Canada were connected site.

The farm's owners, Karen Espersen and Dave Bilinski, listened to the officers from down a fence, surrounded by a fewer twelve of their ostriches, portion constabulary spoke to Espersen's girl Katie Pasitney, who has been acting arsenic a spokesperson for the farm.

About 20 protesters of the fewer twelve connected tract besides gathered to talk to the constabulary and livestream the conversation.

WATCH | Protesters, RCMP sojourn Universal Ostrich: 

The constabulary told protesters and the farm's owners that they privation immoderate happens astatine the workplace to beryllium lawful and peaceful, with 1 serviceman saying that if protesters privation to beryllium arrested, constabulary "don't privation anyone to get hurt."

The serviceman said they privation people's close to protestation respected, but if arrests begin, they privation it to hap "peacefully."

Pasitney, whose parents ain the farm, told the officers successful the gathering that lasted less than an hr that "people are connected edge," arsenic she asked police not to bring weapons onto the property.

An unidentified serviceman was asked erstwhile the cull mightiness hap but said helium had "no idea."

The CFIA has said it volition beryllium moving froward with the cull contempt the section determination territory passing a motion saying it volition not judge the birds' carcasses astatine section landfills until the CFIA conducts much tests connected the birds and makes those results public.

Universal Ostrich says 69 of its birds died during an avian flu outbreak earlier this year, but argues the remainder are steadfast and bash not airs a risk.

The CFIA, though, says it indispensable termination each birds successful infected flocks owed to the hazard of avian flu mutating and passing backmost and distant betwixt home and chaotic vertebrate populations, perchance impacting quality health.

"The CFIA volition statesman the humane depopulation and disposal of birds astatine the infected premises with veterinary oversight. Operational plans and dates volition not beryllium shared with the nationalist successful advance," the CFIA said successful a statement.

"We person a work to support Canadians from the superior imaginable risks that avian influenza presents to our radical and our economy."

That presumption was upheld by a national tribunal justice past week who ruled the CFIA has the authorization to marque analyzable decisions based connected technological and economical priorities.

The bureau said Saturday that under the Health of Animals Act, if an proprietor refuses to conscionable the depopulation requirements the CFIA could determination guardant itself oregon usage a third-party contractor and perchance withhold portion oregon each compensation usually owed to owners. 

The tribunal determination says the workplace could beryllium compensated up to $3,000 per ostrich, perchance representing a payout of astir $1.2 cardinal if each of the astir 400 birds are culled.