RCMP liaison officers have visited a British Columbia ostrich farm to prepare for potential arrests at the property where protesters are trying to prevent a cull of about 400 birds ordered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Multiple livestreams broadcasting from the Universal Ostrich Farm, in Edgewood, B.C., on Wednesday morning showed three officers in police liaison jackets and another in uniform at the farm.
They told protesters and the farm's owners they wanted whatever happened at the farm to be lawful and peaceful, with one telling livestreamer Jim Kerr they wanted to ensure the group understands what's happening.
"If there is enforcement that takes place, we want to make sure that it happens in a very peaceful manner. If you guys want to be arrested, if there's an injunction that's issued, we just don't want anyone to get hurt," the officer said.
He added that there was a right to protest in Canada.
"Sometimes that's lost in policing, and it has in the past. It's our job to ensure that our teams are all very calm and that things go off without anyone getting hurt. That's the biggest goal."
Katie Pasitney, whose parents own the farm, told officers in the meeting that lasted less than an hour that "people are on edge," as she asked police not to bring weapons onto the property.
The Regional District of Central Kootenay said last week that its landfill would not accept any ostrich carcasses without further testing for avian flu, but the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said on Saturday the cull will still proceed, and the timing will not be made public.
Pasitney's mother, Karen Espersen, is seen in one of the videos streamed Wednesday standing behind a fence with the ostriches and telling the officers that the group does not stand for aggression.
An officer was asked when the cull might happen but he said he had "no idea."
The RCMP did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the visit.
In a statement issued later Wednesday, the family said their goal was to save what they say are healthy animals from "an inhumane and unjustified death" and that the policies around the cull do not serve the public interest.
"Farmers are juggling biosecurity measures, animal care, community concerns and so much more – this isn’t about avoiding hard conversations, it’s about supporting those who work tirelessly as farmers and for what is right," the statement says.
The food inspection agency ordered the birds destroyed in December after an avian flu outbreak that killed dozens of ostriches, and a Federal Court judge recently upheld the decision.
In a response to questions about whether the current health of the remaining birds had any impact on the decision to cull, the agency said Tuesday that a single laboratory confirmed case of avian flu "is sufficient to declare a premises infected, given how easily the disease can spread to other birds."
The agency said Saturday that under the Health of Animals Act, if an owner refuses to meet "depopulation" requirements it could move forward itself or use a third-party contractor and potentially withhold part or all compensation from the owners.
Last week's court decision says the farm could be compensated up to $3,000 per ostrich, potentially representing a payout of about $1.2 million if all are culled.
The family disputes the $3,000-per-bird price tag in their statement, saying a rooster is worth $7,500, while an "antibody-producing hen" is worth $93,000.
The farmers say their flock has developed herd immunity against avian flu and is valuable to science.
