Alberta cattle producers will be paid for submitting their old cattle for BSE testing.
Under the new BSE program, cattle producers will be paid $150 per head for a testable brain sample from animals considered to be high risk. Healthy animals will not be eligible for the funding.
The changes, announced Sept. 10, are designed to help Alberta meet its minimum number of tests required under the national BSE surveillance program. At least 2,780 Alberta cattle must be tested for BSE this year.
Recently the Alberta auditor general said the province was in danger of not meeting the testing requirements to keep its minimum risk for BSE status because farmers were not being paid to submit their older animals for testing.
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federal government proposed several months ago to increase the compensation rate from 80 to 90 per cent and double the maximum payment from $3 million to $6 million
Also in the program, provincially inspected abattoirs will be paid $75 per head to offset the cost of holding a carcass until the test results are final.
The government will also pay the balance of a veterinarian’s cost for taking the samples. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency already pays veterinarians to take samples. This program will pay the remainder of the costs.
Rendering facilities are already paid $50 under a previous program to offset the costs of holding the carcass until test results are final.
Not just any cow older than 30 months will be eligible for the funding. The animals must fall into the high-risk category and have a body condition score of one.
Alberta is the only province to implement a payment for BSE surveillance.
