The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the appeal of a B.C. ostrich farm at the heart of an ongoing battle over avian influenza.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced Thursday it would move forward with depopulating over 300 birds at Universal Ostrich Farms, near Edgewood, about 120 km northwest of Castlegar.
The farm has been in an ongoing standoff with the CFIA since last winter, when a cull order was given after two dead birds tested positive for highly-pathogenic avian influenza (HAPI).
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The farm has already made several attempts at stopping the CFIA order, including an appeal denied in August. The stamping-out procedure is standard practice for infected flocks.
“The CFIA has respected all orders and decisions of the courts throughout the legal process and expects the ostrich farm owners and supporters to do the same now that the Supreme Court of Canada has issued its judgment,” the CFIA said via a Thursday written release.
It also reminded the public any obstruction of the process of officers performing their duties would be an offence. Universal Ostrich Farms has drawn crowds of protestors ever since the initial order.
