The Manitoba government’s decision to increase compensation for wildlife damage isn’t going to help the province’s sheep industry, says the chair of the Manitoba Sheep Association.
Last week, Manitoba’s agriculture minister, Stan Struthers, announced the province would compensate producers for 100 percent of wildlife losses, beginning in the 2012 fiscal year.
“I’m pleased that compensation will move to 90 percent of the determined loss next year and increase to 100 percent in 2012-2013,” Struthers said in a statement.
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But Lucien Lesage, who farms near Notre Dame, Man., said most sheep producers don’t report losses because they need a carcass to make a claim.
“When you lose a lamb, most coyotes just walk away with it (the carcass),” he said. “The government announcement, I don’t think, will do anything for the (sheep) industry.”
He said the government should help sheep producers who would like to use guardian animals on their farm. Keeping dogs or donkeys is expensive and many producers don’t know how to train or handle the guardian animals, he said.
A number of producers in the province have left the sheep industry because of struggles with predation, Lesage said, adding that Manitoba has lost 11 percent of its ewe flock in the last six years.
Sheep producers may be unsatisfied with the increased compensation for wildlife losses but the Keystone Agricultural Producers reacted positively to Struthers’ announcement.
“It’s a long standing KAP policy that farmers be compensated 100 percent,” said KAP president Rob Brunel.
Aside from the obvious example of predators killing livestock, Manitoba farmers would also receive 100 percent compensation when geese eat a crop or bears damage a bee hive.
