Supreme Court to decide on Nov. 6 whether to hear case of B.C. ostriches

By Canadian Press on October 31, 2025.

The Supreme Court of Canada is set to issue a decision next week on whether to hear a last-ditch appeal against an ordered cull of ostriches at a British Columbia farm.

A list of leave applications that will be ruled upon on Thursday includes the challenge by Universal Ostrich Farms to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s order to cull the flock after an outbreak of avian flu was detected last Dec. 31.

If the court decides not to hear the case and lifts a stay on the cull, there will be no legal impediment to the killing of hundreds of birds, while if leave to appeal is granted, a final decision on the fate of the flock would come after a hearing.

The owners of the farm outside the tiny community of Edgewood in southeastern B.C. have been fighting the cull for 10 months, arguing the surviving ostriches show no signs of illness and should be spared.

The agency, which says ostriches that appear healthy may still spread the disease, took control of the birds’ enclosure in September.

The cull appeared imminent, but the Supreme Court issued a temporary stay until it decides whether to hear the farm’s case after the owners lost in lower court rulings.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2025.

The Canadian Press