Officials with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency are preparing for the cull of about 400 ostriches on a British Columbia farm following an outbreak of avian influenza first detected in the herd last December.

A wall of hay bales about three metres tall has been constructed at the farm near the tiny community of Edgewood in southeastern B.C., and several people wearing white protective suits could be seen from the nearby highway on Tuesday.

The installation of the hay bales followed the arrests of Karen Espersen, who is a co-owner of the farm, as well as her daughter, Katie Pasitney, after they refused an opportunity to voluntarily leave the ostriches’ pen earlier Tuesday.

The pair returned home later in the day, although Pasitney says they are not allowed to go back inside the ostrich

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