Creditors of an ostrich farms whose 300 birds are in detention want to grab any money the Canadian Food Inspection Agency pays the farm.
"It's a very unique situation here at the moment," said Steven Cope, a lawyer for a pair of Fort St. John businessmen who obtained a $140,000 judgment against Universal Ostrich last May.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency wants the birds destroyed because highly-infectious avian influenza has been detected in the flock. It has been standard procedure to euthanize any infected flock and millions of Canadian birds have been sacrificed over the last several years.
The farm’s owners have filed an application to have their case taken up by the Supreme Court. They have lost challenges in lower courts. The flock is being held by the CFIA pending the outcome of the farm’s appeal.
"The only [asset that can be levied or taxed] that they have are two-legged animals that are under quarantine facing a death penalty. It's a very rare situation," the lawyer said.
Cope's clients are among three creditors who have sued Universal in the past two years.
Rudi George and Roman Stadler, who are together one of the creditors — sued Universal Ostrich Farms last February in relation to a deal for $126,399 worth of ostriches. They claim to have received only $5,000 in return.
According to B.C. Supreme Court documents, another creditor, David Goranson, sued Universal in August 2023 over repayment of a $60,000 loan issued the previous year to "fund the operation and expansion" of the business.
Goranson obtained a judgment for more than $80,000 against Universal Ostrich in May 2024.
"It is unclear to Goranson why this obligation has not been met," Goranson's lawyer said in a statement to CBC News.
"And it is frustrating to him that the judgment is not being paid."
