Alberta’s brand inspection services have made a smooth transition
after a year as a private entity.
Livestock Inspection Services
employed 93 inspectors to check a record 5.8 million head of cattle in 1999 and ensure the payment for 15,000 cattle did not end up in the wrong hands. The cattle were worth about $15 million.
LIS funds two RCMP livestock investigators who were involved in more than 400 investigations regarding stolen livestock.
But some bends in the road to privatization need to straighten.
The board of directors for the service is still negotiating with Alberta Agriculture to recover money earned when lifetime brands were sold several years ago. About $8 million was collected.
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“We are still of the opinion that we should have the money,” said manager Ken Weir.
The government originally said the money disappeared into general revenue. However, following a mid-February meeting with agriculture minister Ty Lund, the livestock group is confident an agreement can be reached by the end of March.
There is also a continuing dispute with some feedlot operators over whether their cattle need to be reinspected as a proof of ownership.
Weir said the law overseeing brand inspection services says all cattle sold at public auction, packing plants and feedlots must be inspected for proof of ownership. But the service has set up a committee to look into the situation for animals entering and leaving feedlots.
“We want a streamlined solution to the feedlot owners’ problems,” he said.
