The Saskatchewan Elk Breeders Association wants interest-free loans
from the provincial government so producers can buy feed for their
herds.
President Bob Kirkpatrick said producers are struggling to cope with
drought and disease.
At a Regina news conference last week, he proposed a five-point plan to
help.
He said many believe the elk industry, reeling from its fight against
chronic wasting disease, still has a future. But they need help to keep
it viable during the drought.
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“The drought has brought everything to a head right now,” Kirkpatrick
said.
He said elk farmers rely on their bulls and the velvet market to
generate income, but the province’s livestock drought assistance
program is for breeding stock.
Hal Cushon, assistant deputy minister for Saskatchewan Agriculture,
said the province will look at what it might do to help. Officials are
waiting until SEBA provides numbers on how much money is required.
In addition to feed assistance, SEBA wants a federal task force to
re-establish markets in South Korea, immediate access to federally
approved slaughter plants, funding for a marketing specialist and
discussions with lenders on the future of the elk industry.
Kirkpatrick said the price Canadian producers earn for their antler
velvet would double overnight if Korean markets were re-opened.
Right now, the price is about $25 per pound.
Canada continues to harvest and export velvet. Most goes to China, Hong
Kong and Taiwan. Korea banned live animal and velvet imports from
Canada after the CWD outbreak in the late 1990s.
But Canadian velvet is still making its way to that country through
China. Kirkpatrick said the Canadian product is safe.
“We would like the federal government to push hard to educate the
Koreans,” he said.
He said access to slaughter plants is also important and would decrease
the herd size so farmers can feed their remaining stock.
The meat market is a small part of the elk industry. Kirkpatrick said
because markets are so few, herds have grown too large and the sale of
breeding stock has stopped.
“We have no income from our animals to buy feed at any price,” he said.
Serge Buy, executive director of the Canadian Cervid Council, said on
average, an elk is worth about $4,000 compared to $9,900 just a few
years ago. Some producers in Saskatchewan are giving the animals away
for threatening to turn them loose.
