A last-minute decision by the Supreme Court of Canada has temporarily stopped the destruction of nearly 400 ostriches at Universal Ostrich Farm in Edgewood, British Columbia.
The court granted an interim stay on Thursday, September 24, 2025, pausing the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) cull order while the farm seeks leave to appeal a long-running legal dispute.
The farm, co-owned by Kaitlyn Pasitney, has been at the centre of a high-profile battle with the CFIA since December 2024, when an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) led to the deaths of nearly 70 ostriches and triggered a federal order to destroy the remaining flock.