Setting the Record Straight

When the CFIA showed up and killed more than 300 ostriches in rural British Columbia, a lot of people online immediately assumed the farm must have done something wrong. The accusations came fast: negligence, poor care, bad biosecurity — the works. But once you actually look at the facts, the affidavit, the timeline, and the farm’s own public statements, the narrative falls apart.

And let me just say this upfront: I’m not an expert.
I simply did what anyone can do — I took the time to read, research, and compare the claims to the actual evidence. It didn’t take long to see that the truth looks nothing like the outrage on social media.

This wasn’t a case of a careless farm ignoring sick animals. It was the opposite. And the flock that was destroyed had been healthy for almost a year.

Let’s break it down in a way that makes sense.

They Weren’t Even Raising These Birds for Food

Most people don’t know that the ostriches weren’t being raised for meat or food production at all. They were part of a bio-study. This wasn’t a poultry operation — and legally, ostriches in BC aren’t even classified as poultry.

That’s why CFIA’s involvement is so bizarre.

The agency normally deals with animals entering the food chain. Yet here, they treated the farm like it was a commercial chicken barn. Even more confusing, CFIA reclassified the birds as poultry after the original positive test — giving themselves retroactive authority. This made no sense at all and raised some serious questions.

Nothing about that is normal.

The Farm Didn’t “Ignore” the Illness — They Reached Out Immediately

When some birds got sick in late December, the farm did exactly what they were supposed to do. They called veterinarians, local officials, and CFIA — multiple times. They followed every instruction they were given.

At one point, CFIA even told them:

“We are not coming. Call us when more birds die.”

So the idea that the farmers did nothing is simply wrong. They did their part. They asked for help. They followed the protocol. The agencies that were supposed to respond… didn’t.

Their Isolation Setup Was Exactly What the Guidelines Recommend

Some critics mocked the fencing and the outdoor separation as “unprofessional,” but CFIA’s own guidelines say not to move sick animals unless absolutely necessary. Moving ostriches into a barn would have caused more stress and violated protocol. These are huge animals up tp 9 feet tall and 250-350 pounds. They are meant to be indoors - they need space to roam and run.

The farm’s setup wasn’t negligence. It was exactly what the rulebook called for.

“No Barns” Is a Misleading Criticism

A lot of people insisted that ostriches “should have been in barns.” But ostriches aren’t chickens. They’re desert animals. Their natural habitat is wide open outdoor space, and that’s how they’re kept on reputable ostrich farms worldwide.

Keeping them in a barn would have made things worse — not better.
This was proper husbandry, not neglect.

The Birds Had Been Healthy for Nearly a Year

This is the part most people don’t seem to know.

The illness happened in December 2022.
The last symptoms were seen around January 15, 2023.
After that: nothing.

No deaths.
No illness.
No symptoms for almost ten months.

The flock was strong, active, and visibly thriving. Anyone with even basic knowledge of avian influenza knows when birds are sick — it’s extremely obvious. These ostriches showed none of those signs.

Yet on November 6, 2025 — almost a year later — CFIA arrived and killed every ostrich on the farm. Brutally slaughtered all of them and it was not in a humane way.

That’s not an emergency response.
That’s a delayed, unexplained action that doesn’t match the science or the timeline.

CFIA Refused to Retest the Animals Before Killing Them

This is one of the hardest parts to understand.

The farm asked CFIA to retest the birds to confirm they were healthy. CFIA refused. They didn’t run new PCR tests, didn’t assess the flock’s condition, and didn’t acknowledge the ten months of zero symptoms.

They killed a recovered flock without confirming whether any disease was still present.

That alone should raise serious questions.

Caring for Hundreds of Ostriches Takes Enormous Work, Skill, and Money

Ostriches are hardy animals, but that doesn’t make them easy to care for — especially not hundreds of them. They are massive birds that need room to roam, specialized fencing, proper nutrition, and constant daily oversight. Running an ostrich operation of this size isn’t something you “wing.” It takes money, knowledge, consistency, and dedication.

This farm had been raising ostriches for more than thirty years. Many of these birds were around 35 years old and had names. They were intelligent and social animals. They still had decades left to live.

You don’t successfully maintain a flock of that size and age through negligence. The birds clearly were well-fed, well-managed, and in excellent condition. Their health speaks louder than any online accusation.

So when people casually claim these farmers mistreated their animals, it’s not just inaccurate — it’s disrespectful to decades of hard, hands-on work. It's worth taking the time to understand the basics of ostrich farming before making judgements. You'll find that most or all of what has been said is nothing but legacy media spin - Check out - How the Legacy Media Made the Ostrich Massacre Possible.

Final Thoughts

The online narrative that this farm was negligent simply doesn’t match the actual evidence. The farm acted quickly, followed protocol, and cared for their birds properly. The flock recovered by mid-January and stayed healthy for nearly a year. CFIA refused new testing and ultimately destroyed a healthy flock under a classification that didn’t originally apply to ostriches.

This wasn’t negligence on the part of the farmers at all. They did everything they were supposed to do. There is more to the story than meets the eye- Check out How the WHO now makes the decisions for Canada.

This was a system failure — one that still hasn’t been properly explained.

References & Sources

These are sources anyone can read to verify the basic facts, timelines, and legal context:

Universal Ostrich Farm – Public Statements & Affidavit Extracts
(Available directly from their website/Facebook page — includes timeline, symptoms, and CFIA interactions.)

CFIA Avian Influenza Response Protocols
https://inspection.canada.ca/animal-health/terrestrial-animals/diseases/reportable-diseases/avian-influenza/eng/1294779200624/1294779890555

BC Classification of Livestock (Ostrich Category)
BC Farm Industry Review Board / BC Ministry of Agriculture Livestock Definitions.

News Coverage of CFIA’s Culling Order
Reuters, CBC, AP News reports on the court cases and CFIA authority.

General Information on Avian Influenza Symptoms
Government of Canada – Avian Influenza Symptoms & On-Farm Signs.
https://inspection.canada.ca/animal-health/diseases/avian-influenza/signs/eng