A group of about 20 to 30 protesters remained at Universal Ostrich Farm in Edgewood on Wednesday, digging in to resist what they say is government overreach.

Multiple people in the protest group said they were willing to camp out as long as necessary to ensure about 400 ostriches don’t get culled by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The cull was originally ordered on Dec. 31, 2024 after an avian flu outbreak that killed dozens of ostriches. The decision was upheld by a federal court judge last week, despite the farm saying birds have been asymptomatic since January.

The camping-style protest is set up in a field just across from the farm's ostrich pen. Adults and children alike are set up in tents and campers.

Protesters who spoke to Castanet primarily came from somewhere in B.C., either the Interior or Vancouver Island.

Jim Kerr, a protester from Ontario who’s been in Edgewood since mid-April, said he thinks the CFIA should be handling culls on a case-by-case basis, rather than applying one-size-fits-all guidelines to everyone.

"Let's hope this affects policy change in a big fat hurry, so that we can preserve the dignity of everything," said Kerr.

Erik Hansen, a grandfather from Blind Bay, says he’s not a regular protester but when he heard about the killing of animals, he had to get involved.

“I think it’s just wrong, you can’t kill healthy birds and of course I have questions about why CFIA refuses to let them test the birds,” said Hansen.

The farm said the CFIA won’t let them retest birds to see if they still have avian flu.

The CFIA said in a statement over the weekend that under the Health of Animals Act, if an owner refuses to meet the depopulation requirements outlined by the CFIA, the agency could move forward with depopulation itself or use a third-party contractor.

The Regional District of Central Kootenay passed a resolution Thursday not to allow the CFIA to dispose of ostrich carcasses in its landfills pending further testing of the birds for avian flu.

The CFIA says it's aware of the regional district's motion, but the cull will still proceed with veterinary oversight, although operation dates and plans will not be shared with the public in advance.

Katie Pasitney, the farm owner’s daughter, reiterated that the birds have been asymptomatic since January.

“We're not sleeping. You wonder, are they coming tonight? Are they going to come in the morning? What's going to happen?” Pasitney said. “All we've asked is for retesting after 100 and I think we're at 126 or 127 days of healthy animals."

She says her family has been threatened with a $200,000 fine or even jail time if they test the animals themselves. The CFIA said Saturday that an owner who refuses to meet depopulation requirements could have part or all of it's compensation withheld.

The family could receive compensation of $3,000 per culled ostrich, equalling a payment of about $1.2 million if all are culled.

According to Pasitney the CFIA will let the family repopulate the farm after the cull, but that would still put the animals at risk from migratory birds who carry the flu.

“We have decades of genetics we have with herd immunity, with natural immunity, their systems have overcome environmental challenges that none of us even know,” said Pasitney.

“They're prehistoric animals with robust, beautiful, natural antibodies, and they're proving that we are a recovered flock…those decades of genetics would be gone.”

Sarah Bankert, a protester from Kelowna, has been on the farm periodically since the end of January. She says the goal is to ensure the ostriches aren’t culled.

"I have shown no signs of illness, and I've been here for a long time. I hang out with the farmers who hang out with the birds," said Bankert. "If this is such a highly infectious disease, why is nobody sick?"

Pasitney said the cull would wipe out her family's livlihood, and would like to see the CFIA work with farmers and industry experts rather than push ahead with widespread culls.

with files from The Canadian Press