TOMPKINS, Sask. – Good tools make good work for cow-calf operator Wilfred Campbell, who counts detectable needles and pistol-style syringes among the most valuable items in his toolbox.
Campbell is an outspoken supporter of an industry-wide switch to a new type of syringe and alloy needles.
Interviewed at the height of calving season on his southwestern Saskatchewan farm, he said the new needles are more accurate in dispensing medicine, are detectable at packing plants and stay sharper longer.
On his herd of more than 190 animals, he believes it is good business to spend 42 cents on a needle for an animal that could return $800.
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In the coming weeks, he will begin to vaccinate his animals using the 25 cc and 50 cc syringes that comfortably fit in his hand, are sturdy and firm and accurately dispense the required doses.
“If you want two cc, you really get two cc’s,” said the producer, who records every procedure from ear tagging to vaccinating in a log book.
In the past, tube guns often dispensed different doses to different calves.
Using too much is wasteful and expensive and using too little may not get the job done, he noted.
There is also a risk with the older style stainless steel or aluminum needles breaking off inside animals. These often can’t be detected in packing plants.
“If you can’t get it out, then you’ve lost an animal,” he said.
Since he started using the new needles a year ago, Campbell has bent but not broken a detectable needle.
Needles are discarded every 10 animals and the syringe guns are washed and steeped in hot water after use. A sharps container is used for spent needles until they are dropped off at the local veterinary clinic.
Campbell said the new system makes it easier to tell when needles are dull and need to be replaced.
Product endorsements from producers are the best way to send out the message about detectable needles, said Janice Sopatyk, the Saskatchewan Verified Beef Program administrator.
VBP, an on-farm food safety program, is an initiative of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. It covers everything from animal health management and cattle shipping to medicated feed and pesticide control and training.
“We’re trying to be proactive and trying to make it easy enough for producers to get in on it,” she said.
“Consumers want assurances things are being done in an appropriate manner,” she said. “With VBP, we have record keeping to prove what the practices are.”
Campbell, chair of the Quality Starts Here Verified Beef Program, said the detectable needles play an important role in bolstering consumer confidence in the safety of their meat.
Canada needs to produce the highest quality of beef to compete in world markets, he said.
“We don’t want anybody biting into a needle.”
Auditable farm practices and detectable needles are already mandatory for the pork industry and mandatory auditing could be part of the beef industry’s future, said Sopatyk.
She said many producers have been reluctant to switch to detectable needles due to their limited availability and higher cost.
Today, the needles are comparatively priced with others and available from Canadian suppliers like Ideal Instruments, Rivard Instruments Inc. and SyrVet Inc.
They can be purchased at veterinary clinics and farm supply stores for about $30 for a box of 100 and are available in different gauge sizes.
