The federal government will compensate British Columbia beef producers affected by a nearly year long quarantine to control bovine tuberculosis.
Thirty-two ranches near Vanderhoof were quarantined after a bull was found to be infected last fall.
The government is using its Agri-Recovery program to provide $186,000 to cover costs for feed and lost markets. Included is an ad hoc payment of $25,000 provided earlier by the province.
B.C. Cattlemen’s Association president Roland Baumann wants the compensation program evaluated.
“That whole issue needs to be addressed,” he said.
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“It needs changes because it is onerous, it is not transparent and it is not timely.”
The association is working on recommendations that it will submit to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and B.C. MPs.
Compensation is made through the Health of Animals Act, which is administered by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Baumann said the agency should not be involved in determining payments but instead should concentrate on handling animal health and food safety matters.
The quarantine, which started last September, forced ranchers to keep market ready cattle over the winter, and few could afford the added feed costs. One ranch was forced to hold about 200 yearlings and faced financial hardship from loss of income and over wintering costs.
Payments for animals ordered destroyed and tested by the CFIA were slow to arrive and in many cases were much less than producers expected. Baumann said some received only $20 per head for salvage at the packing plant plus market value rather than replacement value.
The farm from which the infected bull originated remains under quarantine. The owners are working with the CFIA to clean up the farm before restocking can begin.
