CALGARY – Bluetongue testing requirements on American breeding cattle imported from 30 low-risk states have been eliminated.
Agriculture Canada recently announced bluetongue testing on cattle from those states during the shipping season of Oct. 15 to March 31 will no longer be required. Other states outside the designated area will require a single negative bluetongue test on cattle imported between Oct. 15 and Jan. 15.
Low-risk states include the northeastern United States, Pacific Northwest and states that have early killing frost dates, said Brian Jamieson of Agriculture Canada.
Hawaii and Alaska are bluetongue-free. Western Canada imports up to 20,000 head of cattle from Hawaii each year.
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Bluetongue is a disease caused by a virus transmitted by insects which can’t survive over winter. The last known case of bluetongue in Canada was in 1988 where cattle, bison, sheep and some deer died.
To monitor the incidence of this disease in Canada, sentinel herds of young cattle are maintained in five Okanagan Valley points. They are tested throughout the season for bluetongue.
“In Canada the only place we are aware that the disease has been detected has been in the Okanagan Valley,” said Jamieson.
Cattle can carry the disease without showing any symptoms.
Imported cattle are monitored for tuberculosis, anaplasmosis, brucellosis and bluetongue.
The Americans have argued for some time that costly disease testing and other restrictions because of bluetongue are unfair trade barriers.
Because Canada is bluetongue, brucellosis and tuberculosis free, it enjoys advantages in the export world where customers are anxious to buy healthy animals.
Agriculture Canada continues to investigate relaxation of brucellosis testing on American feeder cattle coming into this country. The feeders must be castrated or spayed.
Canada has been brucellosis free since 1985 while the United States continues to detect cases. Every animal over 24 months of age is blood-tested at slaughter for this disease, which causes spontaneous abortions.
