The spread of anthrax in southeastern Manitoba last week forced cattle producers near affected farms to think more seriously about vaccinating their livestock against the disease.
There were unconfirmed estimates Sept. 1 that 38 cattle had died from anthrax during August.
The disease first appeared at five farms near Vita, Man. But last week, six other farms each had one animal die, with indications that anthrax was the cause.
Those suspicions had not been confirmed at press time.
The farms more recently affected were near Rosa, Roseau River and Zhoda. These southeastern Manitoba communities are not far from Vita.
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As many as 30,000 cattle in the area are at risk, said Grant Spearman, manager of pathology for Manitoba Agriculture’s veterinary services branch.
Cattle producers are taking the risk seriously, and at least nine private veterinarians were busy last week vaccinating cattle against anthrax.
“They’ve been vaccinating non-stop for the past couple of days,” said Spearman on Sept. 1.
Thousands of cattle will likely be treated as a precaution.
The federal government pays the cost of vaccinating cattle on farms with confirmed cases of anthrax.
Other producers concerned about possible infection must pay for it themselves, at about $1 per dose.
Anthrax bacteria spores can survive in the soil for decades. It’s thought that this year’s wet, humid weather helped trigger the outbreak in southeastern Manitoba.
“You can’t predict it,” Spearman said. “It’s like eenie, meenie, miney, moe.”
A $500 indemnity is paid to producers who lose livestock to anthrax. The money pays for cleanup and disposal to help prevent the bacteria from spreading.
However, cattle producers continue to insist that government compensation should be paid for the value of the animals lost.
The Manitoba Cattle Producers Association plans to take up the matter with the province and Ottawa. The association’s vice-president said he supports compensation for producers who lose cattle to anthrax.
Garth Routledge said he also wants a long-term program that ensures compensation for producers affected by anthrax in the future.
“The first thing is to get the acceptance that there needs to be a program to cover this kind of outbreak.”
Routledge said he has confidence in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and local veterinarians’ ability to handle the current outbreak.
Consider cause of death
Meanwhile, Spearman encourages cattle producers to be vigilant for the disease.
Those who found one or two dead cattle in their pastures this summer may not have considered anthrax as a cause.
“Because of the (wet, humid) conditions this year, there could be a lot more there that are just not diagnosed.”
Anthrax acts so fast that it is difficult to diagnose in living animals, according to the CFIA. An animal that appears healthy in the evening may be dead by morning.
If carefully observed, animals will show some signs of the disease just before death.
Anthrax is reportable under the Health of Animals Act.
