Eleven months after the original order came down, ostrich cull in Edgemont is complete and work to remove more than 300 carcasses from the Universal Ostrich Farm is now underway.<\/p>\n
The family who fought the order to cull the birds after detecting avian flu in the flock remains defiant.<\/p>\n
Katie Pasitney with the Universal Ostrich Farm said it was a display of punishment by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast night Canadian Food Inspection Agency brought war to a peaceful farm. They brought guns, and they brought shooters. They took life that was innocent. They were defenseless,\u201d Pasitney said.<\/p>\n
The federal agency brought in marksmen Thursday night to begin shooting the birds.
Supporters of the farm could be heard yelling, condemning the cull. <\/p>\n
Watch the full story in video below:<\/p>\n
The CFIA issued a statement<\/a> Friday afternoon confirming the ostrich cull on the Edgewood farm. It concluded that the \u201cmost appropriate and humane option was to use professional marksmen in a controlled on-farm setting.\u201d<\/p>\n Federal Green Party leader Elizabeth May says more needed to be done to save the ostriches.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is clearly a case where I think public concern and the faith in our institutions would have been better met if CFIA had agreed to re-testing the animals. There has been a long time since any evidence of bird flu in that encampment,\u201d May said on Thursday in Ottawa.<\/p>\n RELATED:<\/p>\n Sean Fraser, federal justice minister, said he supports the Supreme Court of Canada\u2019s decision not to weigh in on the case.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important that the minister of agriculture and CFIA are able to protect the health of the general Canadian public. and the food that we consume, and the poultry industry as well,\u201d Fraser said on Thursday from Ottawa. <\/p>\n According to the CFIA, the farm remains under quarantine under the Health of Animals Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n The farm owners, and their supporters say they will continue to fight to have the CFIA change its policy so that animals can be spared, not culled, after a case of avian flu.<\/p>\n