The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will be maintaining its presence at the Universal Ostrich Farm in southern B.C. while the Supreme Court of Canada decides whether it will hear the farmers’ appeal of the CFIA’s cull order.

A stay of the cull order came down from the SCC on Wednesday.

The order to slaughter almost 400 ostriches was prompted by an outbreak of avian influenza on the farm in December 2024. It killed 69 of their birds. The CFIA says the remaining ostriches may not show signs of the disease, but they could still be the source of further spread of infection to people, livestock and wildlife. Culling is a key element in the agency’s policy to stamp out avian flu .

In a statement released Thursday , the CFIA announced it “will maintain custody of the birds as ordered by th

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