More than $500 million has been spent to aid feedlot operators in Alberta since it was announced that bovine spongiform encephalopathy had been discovered, said an Alberta Agriculture official.
One federal program and three provincial programs are expected to offer some compensation for all of the animals that were on feed in Alberta feedlots as of May 20, when the BSE discovery was made public, said Marcia Hewitt-Fisher, who would not reveal the amount of the provincial government share.
With the fourth program, cattle producers had to register with the government by Oct. 20, disclosing what animals they had on feed as of May 20 and were still in their herd and eligible for compensation.
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When the U.S. border, the major market for Canadian beef, was closed to Canadian beef and cattle, industry and government officials estimated there were 650,000 cattle on feed in Alberta feedlots.
“We had assurances we were fairly correct in the numbers,” Hewitt-Fisher said.
The first three programs covered more than 800,000 head of cattle. Officials now estimate there are still 200,000 to 300,000 cattle remaining in Alberta herds that could qualify for the program.
Before government divides the $100,000 compensation money for the latest program, officials want to get a better handle on how many animals are remaining and have asked producers to register the animals.
“We need to know how many animals there are,” she said.
Once officials know how many animals are registered they can design a program that divides the $100 million to cover them all.
“We made a commitment to industry to help market the May 20 inventory,” Hewitt-Fisher said.
