It appears a growing number of Manitoba producers are opting to dispose of their dead cattle on the farm rather than pay to have them hauled away for rendering.
Disposed of properly, those cattle may not pose much of a concern. However, the cattle industry could suffer a black eye if those kills draw public attention and become perceived as an environmental risk, especially in the winter when on-farm disposal becomes more difficult.
“If a farmer loses one or two cows or one or two steers and he drags them out in the bush and the coyotes and the ravens take care of them, it’s probably not a huge issue,” said Allan Preston, Manitoba Agriculture director of veterinary services.
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“What is the issue is when passersby see that and then become concerned about the perception of potential environmental contamination.”
A number of disposal ideas are being floated in Manitoba, including an expansion of the rendering industry, establishing incinerators and supporting composting.
Those ideas tackle not only the issue of how to dispose of dead cattle but also things like the offal from slaughtered cattle and the specified risk materials from cattle aged 30 months and older. The brains and spinal cords of older cattle are among the parts considered SRMs because they can transmit bovine spongiform encephalopathy if they enter the food chain.
Larry Schweitzer, a feedlot operator and vice-president of the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association, is among those hoping government will devote research dollars to investigate the merits of incinerating or composting deadstock. A group is being formed that will approach government for that support.
“We want to stay environmentally friendly,” he said, while adding that producers need affordable options.
Winnipeg renderer Rothsay continues picking up dead cattle at farms, but charges a fee because it cannot use the material in its products. That deadstock goes to a designated landfill, along with offal from slaughtered cattle.
Glen Gratton, director of Rothsay’s western region, said last week there has been a huge decline in the number of cattle producers phoning the Winnipeg office for pickup of deadstock. A decline over the summer months is normal, but it became more pronounced this year.
Rothsay is not considering expanding at this time, and Gratton suggested it would not be feasible to build another rendering plant for ruminant deadstock. There would be enormous cost, he said, and the province’s cattle herd is not big enough to justify it.
The decline in deadstock being picked up by Rothsay points to the likelihood that more of those carcasses are being disposed of on the farm. At this point, Preston sees no cause for alarm.
