Alberta beef producers want the province to pay for wildlife damage to forages and fences.
Under the current wildlife damage program, compensation is not available for feed or fences but may be claimed for crops.
“When 300 elk run through a fence, they do a lot of damage,” said delegate Garry Gurtler, during the Alberta Beef Producers annual meeting in December.
Gurtler, who lives at North Star in the Peace River region, said his area is overrun with large wildlife like elk, which break down fences and eat hay or stored forage. Other delegates agreed the government must recognize these costs.
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“The government controls the hunting season and quotas on these animals and they have to take some responsibility for the damage they do,” said Rick McKnight of Jarvie.
Delegates passed several resolutions asking the province to pay full compensation for damage done to pastures, livestock and fencing.
Dave Ealey of the provincial department of sustainable resource development said help is available. Special fencing may be provided to individuals to control large animals like deer, elk and moose.
Ealey agreed the rising population of large wildlife can cause considerable damage to agricultural areas or acreage communities where there are increasingly more collisions between vehicles and wildlife.
“It is always a localized problem. Populations of cervids, deer, elk, moose go up depending on weather conditions and food availability,” he said.
In the last 10 years in Alberta, white-tailed deer numbers increased by 60 percent and there are 50 percent more mule deer. The department has offered more hunting licences but hunter numbers have been falling for 20 years.
Compensation is available through Alberta Financial Services Corp. for producers experiencing crop damage from waterfowl and wildlife.
Producers whose crops are damaged by elk, deer or birds may claim for damages on standing or swathed crops insurable under the provincial crop insurance program.
The program does not apply to crops seeded too late for production, grazing land, native pasture, bales, stacks, granaries or bins, swath grazed crops, volunteer crops or land left exposed to wildlife for management purposes. Compensation is based on the percentage of damage multiplied by the commercial value of the crop.
To qualify there must be a crop loss of 10 percent or more, and a minimum $100 calculated loss per crop before compensation is paid. Adjusters have to be contacted before the crop is harvested.
