A Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspector says cattle producers, not CFIA field workers, should be responsible if sick or crippled animals are brought to auction.
Darren Malchow said high risk cattle that have cancer eye or are thin or arthritic should not be brought to the auction market.
“Seventy-five dollars is not $75. That animal can cost the industry much, much more than that.”
Malchow said it should not be up to CFIA field staff at auction markets to tell producers which cattle can’t go through the sales ring. Producers should make the judgment call themselves.
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“Be accountable for your livestock, cull them sooner. If in doubt, contact the market or your fieldman,” he said.
BSE found in a northern Alberta cow changed the industry forever. The downer cow cost the Canadian livestock industry millions of dollars in closed markets and depressed prices.
Malchow said truck drivers don’t want to haul crippled cows. If an animal goes down in transit, the trucker can be fined $1,000. An animal that is shipped to the packing plant and condemned there can cost the auction market or producers $250 to $300.
“It’s a wake-up call to cattle producers to cull them sooner or don’t bring them to town,” said Malchow.
Dan Rosehill of Olds Auction Market said health-compromised cattle used to be shipped to town, but those days are gone.
“People are becoming more aware of distressed animals and they wouldn’t look good going through the ring,” he said.
Don Danard with Calgary Stockyards in Strathmore, Alta., said the cattle industry has changed since BSE.
Auction markets don’t want the “question mark” cattle, he said.
Garth Rogers of Nilsson Bros., in Clyde, Alta., said his operation discourages any questionable cattle coming through the ring.
“We’re pretty strict at our place.”
Malchow said producers also need to be aware of animal welfare groups.
“Animal rights groups have hidden cameras and look for poor conditioned livestock to damage your industry,” he said in the letter.
Corey Sekura of Sekura Auction in Drayton Valley, Alta., said producers are changing their ways, so fewer distressed animals are coming to their markets.
“In the past 15 years, producers have advanced so much … any place handling livestock is taking a proactive approach to animal care. We’re ahead of the curve when it comes to animal care.”
