The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said it has not destroyed any birds at the Universal Ostrich Farm, despite supporters claiming many have gone missing.
An avian flu outbreak killed about 69 of the farm’s flock of roughly 400 birds in December 2024. The CFIA ordered the farm to cull the entire flock in January.
On Sept. 22, CFIA agents and RCMP officers arrived at the farm to carry out the order.
Cull operations were halted on Sept. 25 when the Supreme Court of Canada granted the farm an interim stay order while it awaits a decision on its leave application.
However, the CFIA and RCMP have remained on site and continue to have custody of the birds.
CFIA officials told Vista Radio in an email that while the farm was granted a stay of execution, the court did not order the agency to stop its operations or preparations at the site.
But the farms owners and supporters claim these operations include moving forward with the cull.
Several Facebook posts in recent weeks have claimed a significant number of birds have gone missing.
The CFIA said it estimates there are between 300 and 330 birds on the farm. But spokesperson Katie Pasitney said in an Oct. 14 Facebook post that photos taken by supporters suggest many birds are missing.
“We have a big concern about the number of animals we have on the farm. During the first days before our interim stay order, they had dumpsters leave here with high RCMP presence – why?” Pasitney wrote.
“We have had incredible supporters taking images and time-stamping them, and we have done our count of our animals and are missing a large number of ostriches.”
Pasitney posted aerial photos of the farm showing tents set up by the CFIA near the ostrich pen.
Supporters have speculated the missing birds are being culled in the tents and hauled off site in blue shipping containers.
The CFIA rebutted the claims, saying the bins observed being hauled off site contain waste from its daily operations.
“The material being removed from the premises includes remains from meals eaten on site, Tyvek suits and other personal protective equipment that has been disinfected, and packaging from supplies used on site,” the CFIA said.
“The bins have not been used to remove dead ostriches or ostrich body parts.”
Since CFIA operations began on the farm, it said one bird has died, none have been euthanized and no live or dead birds have been removed from the property.
The bird that died was compromised by a chronic pre-existing condition affecting its left leg and mobility. It died on Oct. 4 despite treatment and electrolyte supplements provided by the owners.
Officials said determining an exact flock count based on visual images would be difficult, given the frequent movement of the birds and visual obstructions on the large site.
The agency also said the farm’s owners failed to provide flock records or inventory information.
It said the CFIA has been unable to determine whether the difference between the current estimated number of birds and previous claims should be “attributed to the original size of the flock being overreported” or the “number of deaths since December 2024 being underreported.”
“In previous court affidavits, the owners have stated that they had about 450 birds before the 2024 disease outbreak on the farm,” the CFIA said.
“However, in a Sept. 22, 2025, affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court of Canada, one owner stated that they had approximately 420 birds before the outbreak.”
The CFIA said affidavits filed by the owners indicate the original flock has been reduced by:
- 69 birds dying during the initial outbreak
- one or two isolated age-related deaths
- three from ice-related injuries
- one after running into a fence while fleeing from a presumed predator
- one shot dead by an unknown person
- one shot dead, possibly by a drone
All of these deaths occurred before the CFIA began operations on the farm.
Officials added that the CFIA “has respected and will continue to respect all orders and decisions of the courts throughout the legal process.”
Correction: The Universal Ostrich Farm case is not posted on the Supreme Court of Canada’s list of decision set down for Oct. 23, as previously reported.
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