NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The free movement of American cattle into Alberta feedlots could happen this summer in a pilot project that is testing year-round access.
Two or three Alberta lots will likely participate. There is already an agreement for winter access, but only about 10,000 cattle arrived this year because of poor economic conditions and feed shortages.
“I think there’ll be some cattle coming up just to test how it works,” said Arno Doerksen of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency agreed to the open border program but Health Canada recently voiced concerns.
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The department questioned the wisdom of giving American cattle tetracycline injections for anaplasmosis even though they are healthy. Health Canada is studying antimicrobial resistance issues and how the use of veterinary products may contribute to the problem.
“Something we hadn’t expected in the past 12 months is Health Canada’s reluctance to support treating animals with long-acting tetracycline for anaplasmosis,” said Rob McNabb of the cattlemen’s association, during a committee meeting at the annual National Cattlemen’s Beef Association convention.
The purpose of the Canada-United States issues committee is to remove impediments to trade between the two countries.
The restricted feeder program has been successful and several hundred thousand cattle have entered Canada from New York, Hawaii and Montana from October to March.
The push to open the borders year round for states with an equivalent health status to Canada has moved at a snail’s pace. Much of the holdup has been differing opinions over the presence of diseases like bluetongue and anaplasmosis. Insects not typically present in Canada transmit these diseases.
A three-year study is under way to measure the level of these diseases in northern state cattle and another study is looking for the insect that spreads bluetongue. So far, nothing significant has been found.
The American committee members also raised concerns about the prevalence of tuberculosis in wildlife in the Riding Mountain National Park zone. Tuberculosis exists in the resident elk population with potential transmission to nearby cattle herds.
