Ostrich farm supporters weep as court denies appeal and CFIA plans to kill birds

People who back Universal Ostrich Farms gathered on the highway above it Thursday. Some hugged and wept, while others shouted at Canadian Food Inspection Agency staff wearing white protective gear.

"CFIA, you can stop!" called out Katie Pasitney. Her mom, Karen Espersen co-owns the farm near Edgewood, a small town in southeast B.C. "Run pretty birds!"

Jeff Gaudry, another supporter used a loudspeaker to tell the workers: "You should feel ashamed. You should go in there and let them kill you."

Down in the field, CFIA workers rounded up the farm's ostriches. They herded them into a pen built from hay bales stacked about three to four meters high.

Earlier that day, the Supreme Court of Canada had refused to hear the farmers' last appeal against culling the birds. The CFIA then said it would start "complete depopulation and disposal" of the flock, which numbered in the hundreds.

The tall hay walls blocked any view of the pen from ground level. But from up high, you could see lots of birds moving around. There were also two dark, tent-like structures inside.

As night fell, floodlights lit up the area. A worker went into the pen carrying a long bag.

The CFIA ordered the cull on Dec. 31 just 41 minutes after a lab test on a dead ostrich showed it had avian flu. This marked the start of a 10-month saga during an outbreak that killed about 70 birds.

This issue caught the eye of the Trump administration in the United States. It also drew criticism from those who saw it as government overreach comparing protests at the farm to the "Freedom Convoy" movement.

The farmers lost their fight against the cull in both the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal. Yet, court stays kept pushing back the operation. Thursday's decision removed any legal barriers to the killings.

The CFIA released a statement on Thursday saying it had followed all court orders "and expects the ostrich farm owners and supporters to do the same now that the Supreme Court of Canada has issued its judgment."