Animal Justice Canada is describing the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) culling of more than 300 ostriches in Edgewood as “shocking” and “inappropriate.”
The organization has filed a formal complaint with the CFIA over its conduct while undertaking the cull at Universal Ostrich Farm in early November, calling the chosen method unacceptable.
“We’re deeply concerned about the killing methods when the CFIA shot to death over 300 ostriches at Universal Ostrich Farm,” said lawyer and Animal Justice executive director Camille Labchuk.
“Media and eyewitness reports indicate that the ostriches were herded together into a hay-bale enclosure and killed by gunfire in front of each other after night fell. This is a particularly shocking and inappropriate way to kill birds.”
Criticism
The CFIA hired marksmen to shoot the birds on Nov. 6 and 7 after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that it would not hear the farm’s request for an appeal.
The cull was ordered in January 2025 after an avian-flu outbreak was reported on the farm in December 2024.
The agency said experts with experience managing ostrich disease outbreaks directed the CFIA to use professional marksmen in a controlled on-farm setting to carry out the cull.
It said this was determined to be the most appropriate and humane option and that all depopulation activities were completed under CFIA veterinary supervision.
But Labchuk argues it is unlikely any veterinarian in the country would recommend this method.
“I don’t think that there’s any veterinarian in the country who would appropriately recommend that shooting animals in front of each other would ever be a good way to kill them. It’s truly shocking to me that with a year to plan for this killing, they chose to use one of the most inappropriate methods imaginable.”
CFIA guidelines ignored
Labchuck said the cull contradicted the CFIA’s own guidance on the use of firearms for stunning ostriches.
“The CFIA’s own manual and guidance on killing methods says that firearms should only be used as a last resort. It recommends other methods of killing ostriches,” Labchuk said.
Instead, the agency’s manual indicated the preferred method would be to place a hood over each individual bird to calm it, administer a sedative, then give a lethal injection.
“Crowding ostriches into a pen, shooting them in an enclosed space while they’re running around in terror, forcing birds to witness their companions die by loud, repeated gunshots undoubtedly would have caused horrific terror and suffering,” Labchuk added.
“Why they chose to disregard that guidance and their own manual and kill the birds in an array of gunfire is a question for them, but it’s truly shocking.”
Legal concerns
The organization believes the CFIA’s conduct violated the Criminal Code and B.C.’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, both of which prohibit causing distress to animals.
Labchuk referenced a 2011 court case in Whistler in which a sled-dog operator killed several of his dogs after a decline in business.
In that case, the individual was convicted and sentenced for criminal animal cruelty for killing the dogs in view of one another.
“That was something the court found to be absolutely appalling. And it was an aggravating feature when convicting and sentencing him for that,” Labchuk said.
“The argument is that killing birds in front of each other causes fear and suffering above and beyond what’s necessary to actually end their lives. In this case, too, I’m concerned about the suffering that the birds likely experienced as a result of the imprecise killing methods.”
She also said it’s reasonable to assume the ostriches were not killed immediately, as it was likely difficult for any marksman to get a clean shot while the birds ran around chaotically in an enclosed area.
“It sounds like the last round of gunshot was not heard until the following morning, which suggests that some birds were still alive overnight and had to be put out of their misery in the morning.”
While Labchuk recognises the CFIA had the lawful right to exterminate the ostriches, she argues the agency still had a responsibility to respect federal and provincial laws.
Aftermath and accountability
The organization has not received a response from the CFIA regarding the complaint, but Labchuk said they plan to watch the situation carefully and demand accountability.
“We think that there does need to be accountability for the CFIA in this process. It’s a very serious matter that they killed these birds in a way that was certainly vastly more inhumane than even their own manual suggested and we will continue looking for ways to hold them to account.”
They are hopeful the CFIA will investigate the actions internally, though Labchuk isn’t optimistic.
“I’m not optimistic because we’ve seen this agency act inappropriately over and over again. I think the fact that they refused to retest the birds and still killed them almost a year after they were infected is further proof of just how egregious their conduct has been in this case.”
Impact on B.C. birds
As of Oct. 28, over 11 million birds in B.C. have died after being impacted by the avian-flu virus.
That number includes domestic birds that died from the virus and those culled by CFIA agents.
Labchuk said documents obtained through freedom-of-information requests suggest many of these birds also faced “appalling” deaths.
While the ostriches may have captured people’s attention, Labchuk emphasised that other birds are suffering as a result of the system.
“We need to be reevaluating factory farming as a whole and thinking more carefully about the system that relies on just exterminating entire sheds of animals when they get sick,” she said.
The CFIA completed its operations at Universal Ostrich Farm on Nov. 13.
Its website said disposal activities on Nov. 8 – which included the disposal of carcasses, eggs and other material – were carried out through deep burial in an approved B.C. landfill.
Vista Radio reached out to the CFIA for a response to these allegations. The CFIA did not provide a response in time for publication deadline.
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