A British Columbia ostrich farm has received a temporary reprieve from a court order to cull its flock due to an avian flu outbreak. The Federal Court of Appeal in Ottawa granted an interim stay, allowing Universal Ostrich Farms in Edgewood to delay the execution of its 400 birds.

The cull was initially ordered in December after an outbreak of avian flu resulted in the deaths of 69 ostriches. Since then, the farm has been fighting against the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) decision to destroy the remaining birds. Despite previous losses in both Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal, the farm's legal team filed for another stay on Thursday, seeking a hearing in Canada’s Supreme Court.

In a ruling dated Saturday, the Federal Court of Appeal stated that the culling notice is "hereby stayed pending the disposition of the stay motion." The court has set a deadline for the CFIA to respond to the stay motion by Tuesday.

Universal Ostrich Farms contends that its birds are now healthy and pose no threat to public health. The farm argues that the ostriches are scientifically valuable and should not be destroyed. The legal battle continues as the farm seeks to protect its flock from the culling order.