Universal Ostrich Farms: Legal Complaint Filed Over Mass-Shooting
Animal Justice believes the CFIA’s actions may have violated Canada’s animal cruelty laws, including both the federal Criminal Code and provincial legislation, which prohibit causing unnecessary suffering and distress. Killing animals in front of one another is inherently cruel, particularly when the animals are part of a cohesive social group.
Before the slaughter, Animal Justice urged the CFIA to retest the ostriches and reassess whether killing them was necessary. Independent disease experts supported renewed testing, noting nearly a year had passed since the initial outbreak. Despite these calls, the CFIA refused to reconsider—and proceeded with the mass shooting just hours after the Supreme Court refused to hear the appeal.