Being told he is one of the ranchers being cut from the PMU industry came as a shock and a relief to Dean Gal, whose family has been in the industry for more than 30 years.
Producing pregnant mare’s urine provided a good livelihood and gave Gal’s family a chance to build on the quality of their horse herd.
However, there was also stress, he said, because of uncertainty hovering over producers from year to year as to whether their contracts might be cut by Wyeth Organics, the company buying pregnant mare’s urine to manufacture a treatment for menopausal symptoms.
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“It’s a lot of stress to live with,” said Gal, of Plumas, Man. “Now at least you know where you’re at.”
There are more than 400 PMU ranches, with 243 in Manitoba and the balance in Saskatchewan, Alberta and North Dakota.
Wyeth announced this month that the number of ranches would be cut by about a third, meaning that close to 135 of those ventures will be leaving the industry. The company said it will provide compensation to help ease the transition for affected producers and will honour its current contracts with them.
That means producers like Gal will not be collecting pregnant mare’s urine this winter, but will get paid. Urine collection typically begins in mid-October and continues into March.
“It gives you some time to weigh your options,” said Gal, who noted there were signs before the announcement that cuts might be needed.
However, he had no inkling that it would mean the exit of more than 100 producers.
Over the last 12 months, there has been a sharper decline in the number of women prescribed Premarin, the drug made by Wyeth to treat menopausal symptoms. The company also has been marketing a lower-dose version of its hormone replacement therapy, which meant less demand for pregnant mare’s urine from its network of ranches.
Herd size, management history and proximity to other PMU ranchers were among the factors used when deciding which producers would remain in the industry, said Wyeth spokesperson Theodora Samiotis. “These were all elements that came into the final decision. There was no one factor.”
Wyeth also will reduce production at its Brandon plant where the raw pregnant mare’s urine is taken for processing. About 30 seasonal workers will not be hired as a result.
Samiotis said Wyeth remains committed to Premarin. However, the latest events have heightened unease about the future of the PMU industry.
