Union says CFIA staff facing intimidation and threats over planned B.C. ostrich cull

A sign calling for the protection of ostriches at the Universal Ostrich Farms is displayed in Edgewood, B.C., on Saturday, May 17, 2025. Hundreds of supporters flocked to the farm over the Victoria Day long weekend to protest the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s order to cull about 400 ostriches. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Hemens

The head of the union representing Canadian Food Inspection Agency workers says they have faced “intimidation and threats” amid heightened rhetoric since a Federal Court ruling upheld an order to cull hundreds of ostriches at a British Columbia farm.

Agriculture Union president Milton Dyck said rocks were thrown at an agency vehicle in the region, and although he’s not certain it was related to the planned cull, online talk about harming workers is the “crossing of a line.”

He said agency workers had a job to do, while acknowledging that culling animals can affect people’s livelihoods.

Protesters have gathered at the property at Edgewood, B.C., to try to prevent a cull that was ordered after an outbreak of avian flu.

The owners of Universal Ostrich Farms filed an appeal on Monday in Federal Court in Vancouver, in a further bid to overturn the ruling this month that allowed the cull to proceed.

The same day, the Agriculture Union that is part of the Public Service Alliance of Canada said in a statement that it was “increasingly concerned” about the online threats.

“Whenever you’re doing culls, whenever you’re dealing with people’s livelihoods, there’s going be tension and you have to always be aware of what’s happening,” Dyck said in a phone interview.

“Livelihoods are being affected by the orders to cull certain populations and we respect that, but we also have a job to do.”

The union statement said it supports the right to peaceful protest, so long as it doesn’t obstruct workers.

It said the union expects its members to be able to work in a safe environment, “free of physical threats and intimidation.”

“We are asking that our members, their safety be guaranteed and that they are allowed to be able to do their work as safely as possible,” Dyck said.

“Avian influenza is a disease that has caused massive losses within our poultry industry and it’s something that we have to continue to be monitoring and continue to be vigilant.”

The CFIA said Monday it would go ahead with the cull, despite a request from U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that the birds be spared.

Kennedy had posted a letter on social media on Friday addressed to CFIA president Paul MacKinnon, saying there is “significant value” studying the ostriches’ immune response to avian flu and asking the agency to partner in a study of the birds.

The letter is co-signed by the heads of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health, who Kennedy said took part in a conversation with MacKinnon on Thursday.

The food inspection agency said in response to a question Monday about whether Kennedy’s letter will have any effect on the cull that the “humane depopulation” of the flock will proceed.

It said dates and plans will not be shared publicly, citing privacy protections for producers.

The agency had earlier confirmed in an email that MacKinnon had a call on May 22 with the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration along with Kennedy, who it said had expressed an interest in the H5N1 outbreak on the ostrich farm.

“The CFIA remains focused on our ongoing highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) response across Canada,” the agency said in the statement issued Saturday.

Sixty-nine of the flock died of avian flu in December and January, but the owners of Universal Ostrich Farms say the remaining 400 or so birds are healthy and have acquired herd immunity, making them valuable scientific subjects.

Kennedy’s intervention came after dozens of protesters gathered at the farm, where some remain and have been calling for more to join them.

This report by Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press, was first published May 26, 2025.