EDMONTON – Alberta Beef Producers said thanks the best way they knew how to the government staff that helped them through the BSE crisis – with a steak barbecue.
After 21/2 years of dealing with the fallout from BSE, the cattle producers wanted to thank Alberta Agriculture and Canadian Food Inspection Agency staff for helping to save the beef industry.
“Over the last two years we know a lot of them have put in a lot of extra time,” said Darcy Davis, chair of the Alberta Beef Producers, who spoke during the noon hour barbecue for 600.
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“We felt this was a way to thank them for doing their efforts and hopefully we can work together in the future,” said Davis, an Acme, Alta., cattle producer.
Glen Thompson, chair of the Cattle Feeder Council on the beef producers’ board, said right from the initial meeting after the discovery of BSE, government staff worked long hours trying to reopen borders and develop programs to help producers survive.
“I could phone up here on a Sunday and the phone would be answered and that never stopped,” said Thompson, an Iron Springs, Alta., feedlot operator.
Thompson said work by Alberta government staff to design programs was often the template for other livestock groups.
“A lot of programs that were initiated in Alberta got carried across the country and became policy throughout Canada.”
Ken Moholitny, now retired, but an Alberta Agriculture assistant deputy minister during the BSE crisis, said it’s nice to see the recognition.
“I think this is tremendous. Kudos to the beef industry for acknowledging the efforts of government and staff and recognizing and rewarding those efforts with this barbecue,” said Moholitny.
“There was a lot of staff behind the scenes that did a lot of work,” said Moholitny, who added staff worked on meeting organization and economic analysis of programs and continued to monitor the American political situation.
“There was a lot of people dealing with this issue.”
Phil Amundson, executive director for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s western operations, said its staff worked long hours dealing with BSE, especially in the beginning.
Two stories stand out for Amundson as examples of commitment to the industry.
In the beginning, when CFIA staff was still trying to identify the origins of the first infected animal, two inspectors worked by flashlight in a tannery until 2 a.m.
They dug through heavy hides to find the original animal’s hide, allowing the rest of the staff to continue chasing clues the next morning.
On another farm, inspectors had to track down all the animals from the farm to eliminate that herd as a possible BSE source.
An animal had died earlier and the farmer dragged the animal into a low spot in the field, now covered with water.
The inspectors waded into the slough to find the cow.
“They did find it and were able to exclude another group of animals,” said Amundson.
“We had people working 16, 17, 18 hours a day. They were so committed because it was our family and our friends involved as well,” said Amundson, who appreciated the acknowledgement of the beef industry with the barbecue.
“It means so much to us because we’ve been through the wars with Alberta Agriculture and with the Alberta beef producers.
“It’s been hard, but it’s been so nice to celebrate with them and I really see this as a celebration,” he said.
