RCMP visited a B.C. ostrich farm on Wednesday, where dozens of people have gathered to protest the ordered culling of 400 birds, which a federal judge ruled last week could go ahead.
The farm’s owners have been fighting the order from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) since December, when some of their birds first tested positive for avian flu.
On Wednesday, four officers, some wearing uniforms identifying them as liaison officers, visited Universal Ostrich in Edgewood, B.C., while reporters from CBC/Radio-Canada were on site.
The farm’s owners, Karen Espersen and Dave Bilinski, listened to the officers from behind a fence, surrounded by a few dozen of their ostriches, while police spoke to Espersen’s daughter Katie Pasitney, who has been acting as a spokesperson for the farm.
About 20 protesters of the few dozen on site also gathered to speak to the police and livestream the conversation.
WATCH | Protesters, RCMP visit Universal Ostrich: The remote community …