Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials hope to wrap up a bovine tuberculosis investigation soon and release the remaining farms in Alberta and British Columbia from quarantine.
“We’re well on the way to wrapping the major part of the investigation,” said CFIA veterinarian Dr. George Luterbach.
“By far the majority of quarantines have been released. There are a number still in place in B.C. and Alberta,” said Luterbach.
The inspection is part of the federal agency’s investigation into the discovery of TB in a bull that spent part of its life in Alberta, then at a ranch in Vanderhoof, B.C. The bull was sold in August through an Alberta auction market as part of the B.C. ranch’s herd disposal sale. The bull tested positive during a routine slaughter inspection at a Quebec slaughter facility.
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Since the TB discovery, more than 1,000 animals that may have come in contact with the bull have been traced and ordered destroyed and tested. There is no live test for the animal disease.
Bovine TB can infect all types of mammals including humans. Infection usually occurs from close contact with an infected animal. TB is not highly infectious, but is a slow growing bacterial disease.
The bull was part of 525-head herd at the Lynn Weinhardt ranch. Most of the cattle were sold at dispersal sales earlier in the year, but a few, plus a variety of other livestock, were still on the northern B.C. ranch when the TB was discovered.
Weinhardt, who owns the ranch where the bull lived, believes there’s been a mix up and the bull isn’t from their ranch.
“We’re 200 percent certain it’s not our bull,” said Weinhardt.
The remaining cows, sheep, goats and llamas taken from the ranch Feb. 4 and slaughtered tested negative for TB.
While tracking animals is never easy, Luterbach said the bull didn’t travel much between prairie farms or auction markets throughout its life and CFIA officials are sure there hasn’t been a mixup.
“The owner, in various interviews, is concerned about that issue,” Luterbach said. “Our first task is to make sure we’re on the right farm. We’re going to invest a lot of time, effort and money in this investment for the entire cattle industry in Canada and we want to make sure we’re on the right track. There’s no question in my mind that we’re on the right farm.”
Not finding more positive cases among the animals remaining is not unusual, he said. Bovine TB is now a rare find.
