VERNON, BRITISH COLUMBIA / ConSynSer / – Universal Ostrich Farms, whose flock was culled by federal inspectors last year, is claiming the loss of a business it projected would earn more than C$200 million. The Edgewood, B.C., farm filed a lawsuit in Vernon on October 30 against the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the RCMP and the federal government. Property owner Landco Ventures is also a plaintiff. The claims have not been tested in court.
At the centre of the lawsuit are 1,200 ostrich eggs that the CFIA seized as part of the cull operation. The farm says the eggs were the basis of a dietary supplement and pill product it was developing. It calls the seizure unlawful and says it irreversibly destroyed a business on the cusp of a commercial launch. The claim seeks damages for that lost business.
The CFIA has said marksmen carried out the cull after birds on the farm tested positive for avian flu about 11 months earlier. The farm’s owners fought the order through the courts and on social media. The Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear their final appeal in November 2025, clearing the way for the cull of the flock. That decision came about a year before the lawsuit was filed.
Farm says warrants were served on wrong person
According to the claim, Mounties and CFIA staff served warrants on Katie Pasitney when they arrived at the farm. Pasitney is the daughter of co-owner Karen Espersen but is not an owner or shareholder, the lawsuit says. The farm argues the warrants gave officials no legal, moral or statutory right to occupy the property. It says CFIA officials and others trespassed on the land. Espersen co-owns Universal Ostrich Farms, which leases the property from Landco Ventures.
The farm also alleges that CFIA staff committed or allowed acts of cruelty while handling the flock of more than 300 ostriches. The lawsuit says 351 ostriches were present when the warrants were served. The CFIA offered compensation for 314 birds, leaving 37 unaccounted for, according to the claim. The farm says it has received no explanation for the missing birds. The CFIA had put the flock at between 300 and 330 birds at the time of the cull.
Police await formal service of claim
The RCMP said it was aware of the lawsuit but would not comment while the court process is underway. Once the claim is served, the Department of Justice will review it and issue a statement of defence for the RCMP, the force said. The CFIA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday. The allegations remain unproven. The CFIA has previously said its response follows science-based protocols for managing animal disease outbreaks.
Supporters camped on the property for months as the farm fought to save its surviving ostriches. The case also attracted support from figures in U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The CFIA said the cull was needed because birds can carry and shed the virus even without symptoms. The farm had earlier lost its case at the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal.