KUNA, Idaho — The Idaho State Department of Agriculture has closed the investigation of American Ostrich Farms in Kuna after a follow up inspection of their facility. The farm was accused of animal mistreatment by a former employee, prompting the initial ISDA inspection.
- ISDA conducted an initial inspection of the farm on March 13, 2024. The follow up inspection took place on May 29, 2024.
- The investigator did not find any signs of animal mistreatment or animal abuse in either inspection.
- You can find the follow up report from ISDA in the story below.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
The Idaho State Department of Agriculture has closed its investigation of American Ostrich Farms in Kuna after conducting a follow up inspection of their facility.
As we previously reported, American Ostrich Farms was accused of mistreating and abusing its animals by a former employee.
The Idaho State Department of Agriculture investigated those claims and found, “no evidence of abuse or mishandling of the birds” in their first inspection.
Given the nature of the claims, they decided to conduct a follow up inspection of the facility 11 weeks after their first visit.
I requested a copy of the follow up report.
The report says that the investigator inspected the facility and observed the birds in each corral. The investigator found "No deficiencies in the facility or animal care at this time."
I spoke with the owner of American Ostrich Farms after ISDA’s first inspection.
He told me that keeping his livestock healthy is good for business and that they welcome inspections of their facility.
"And so we're glad that a regulatory body is gonna come out and put the official stamp on what we know to be true, which is we treat our animals with a lot of love and care," says Alex McCoy, the farm's founder and CEO in an interview in May.
ISDA says that this inspection will be their last form of action in response to the original claim.
