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Nov 2, 2025 Source: Universal Ostrich Farms Inc. vs. Canadian Food Inspection Agency
On September 9, 2025, Universal Ostrich Farm (UOF) submitted a Request for Ministerial Recommendation addressed to the Minister of Agriculture and CFIA.
On September 22, 2025, instead of the Minister replying to the Ministerial Reconsideration, Cortnie Fotheringham of CFIA replied to UOF’s Request with a 3-page letter. No response was received from the Minister of Agriculture’s office, not even an acknowledgement of receipt.
On October 31, 2025, the public were asked to send letters to the Minister and Deputy Ministers of Agriculture to respond to UOF’s Request for Ministerial Recommendation.
On November 2, 2025, UOF re-submitted the Request for Ministerial Recommendation with an important Addendum and attachments directly to the Minister of Agriculture, Heath MacDonald, cc Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Lawrence Hanson. In addition, MP Scott Anderson also submitted the Request with Addendum to the Minister of Agriculture in Ottawa. No acknowledgment of receipt or response to the farm was received.
The Request for Ministerial Recommendation with appendix documents are provided here.
November 1, 2025:
Cover letter to Health MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture, cc Lawrence Hanson, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, (2 pgs.) with Addendum to Minister for Request for Reconsideration, (8 pgs.) with appendices:
Attachments
- Original Ministerial Reconsideration Request submitted September 9, 2025
- Response letter from CFIA, September 22, 2025
- Affidavit of Dr. Byram Bridle, dated March 3, 2025
- Affidavit of Dr. Steven Pelech, dated September 21, 2025
- Letter from U.S. Secretary of HHS Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dated May 23, 2025
- Letter from U.S. Secretary of HHS Robert F. Kennedy Jr., dated July 15, 2025
- 2019 BC FADES plan
- 2019 BC FADES Annexes
Original Ministerial Reconsideration Request submitted September 9, 2025
Response letter from CFIA, September 22, 2025
Affidavit of Dr. Byram Bridle, dated March 3, 2025.
Dr. Byram Bridle, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Immunology and Virology, Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph
Affidavit of Dr. Steven Pelech, dated September 21, 2025.
Dr. Steven Pelech, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, President and Chief Scientific Officer, Kinexus Bioinformatics Corporation, Vice-President, and Co-Chair, Scientific and Medical Advisory Committee, Canadian Citizens Care Alliance
Letter from U.S. Secretary of HHS Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to CFIA President Paul MacKinnon, dated May 23, 2025
Letter from U.S. Secretary of HHS Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Minister of Agriculture Heath MacDonald, dated July 15, 2025
2019 BC FADES Plan – Foreign Animal Disease Emergency Support Plan (note signature page includes Bonnie Henry, pg.3); Federal Provincial Agreement in BC
2019 BC FADES Annexes – Foreign Animal Disease Emergency Support Plan
Federal Provincial Agreement in BC
No reply from the Minister of Agriculture Heath MacDonald was received from the September 9 submission or November 1, 2025 re-submission of the Request for Ministerial Reconsideration.
On the morning of November 6, 2025, the Supreme Court of Canada declined UOF’s leave application for Universal Ostrich Farms Inc. v. Canadian Food Inspection Agency (Fed.) (Civil) (41992) to be heard in the SCC. Immediately, the CFIA with RCMP completed final preparations including rounding up the ostriches into a kill pen and, without notice, supporters and owners were blocked from entering or leaving the farm while a war scene of gun fire blasted for hours in a horrific massacre to slaughter the herd. An abundance of military drones shifted between landing pads and the sky to terrorize the supporters and beam into the kill pen. Bullets fired from various types of firearms both inside and behind the kill pen. In the morning light, the horror of the slaughter scene showed beheaded animals and more shots to finish the murder of the ostriches. Equipment lifted the carcasses against the high stacked hay bales to deposit into Super Save bins which were hauled off on flat decks. The property was left in ruins with no respect to the farm owners or adjacent property, including spreading the blood-stained biohazardous straw across the field. The whereabouts of the carcasses were indicated in a landfill but the exact location withheld from the farm owners and public, preventing a proper burial of their beloved ostriches.
The Request for Ministerial Reconsideration still has had no response from the Minister of Agriculture weeks later.
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