Tribunal upholds $10,000 fine against B.C. ostrich farm

The Canadian Agricultural Review Tribunal has upheld a $10,000 fine against the Edgewood Ostrich Farm at the centre of a controversial cull last year.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued the fine, alleging Universal Ostrich Farm failed to notify authorities about the presence of avian flu on the property.

The farm appealed the fine to the tribunal, which concluded the farm’s failure to report the disease was not intentional, but rather an act of negligence.

The ostriches were culled in November 2024, following an unsuccessful legal challenge from the farm to prevent the cull.