Many Manitoba cattle producers are nervously awaiting results of tuberculosis tests on their cattle herds.
The disease was discovered four weeks ago in a Manitoba herd of commercial cattle. It is the only incident this year.
The owner of the infected cattle could not be reached.
Routine autopsies at a United States slaughter plant discovered lesions on the lungs of two cows in a shipment of 24 from Manitoba.
The load had been made up from 12 farms. Eventually skin tests identified 30 infected animals belonging to a Rossburn, Man., commercial cattle producer.
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“As long as we respond in an efficient, expeditious and effective way, the Americans will not look to interfere with our U.S. trade in cattle. We have to be known for maintaining a strict control over these things,” said George Luterbach, of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s Food Production and Inspection Branch in Winnipeg.
The 30 infected animals came from a herd of 84. Veterinarians of the inspection agency quarantined the remaining 54 animals pending test results. If found positive, the remaining animals will also be destroyed.
Testing of 35 herds, 2,000 cattle, have been completed so far within the required 10 kilometre radius of original herd. Testing of an additional several thousand is expected to be completed in the few weeks before Christmas.
