Peter Jaman watched helplessly last week as a deadly bacteria continued to kill off his cattle, one by one.
Jaman, who farms near Vita in Manitoba’s southeastern region, has lost at least 18 cattle in an anthrax outbreak.
As of Aug. 28, six of his cattle were missing and were suspected victims of the disease.
Jaman was the worst affected by the outbreak. He was exhausted after weeks of burning and burying dead cattle and scouring his wooded pastures for missing animals.
“If it was just one day it would be different, but it’s the same thing day after day, over and over again,” he said.
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Anthrax had claimed 32 cattle as of Aug. 28, Jaman said. All told, five farms in the Vita area are under quarantine.
George Luterbach of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said the latest outbreak was the worst he has witnessed in more than 20 years.
About 460 cattle at the affected farms were vaccinated against the disease. The vaccine usually takes effect within seven to 15 days.
Luterbach said nearby livestock producers should consult a veterinarian if they are unsure about vaccinating their animals. The anthrax vaccine costs $1 per dose.
The disease, which mainly affects cattle, sheep and horses, is caused by naturally occurring bacteria in the soil.
A Manitoba Natural Resources helicopter helped search for missing cattle last week. The helicopter crew, which included CFIA staff, found three missing animals.
Cattle producers affected by the outbreak repeated their appeal last week for federal compensation.
The federal government provides a $500 indemnity for the disposal of each animal killed by the disease. But there is no compensation for the value of the animals, which exceeds $1,000 per head on average.
“I guess everybody’s just pretty pissed off,” said Jaman, describing the producers’ reactions to the lack of compensation.
Manitoba Agriculture said last week it would not compensate producers for dead livestock.
Jack Penner, the province’s agriculture critic, supported the call for compensation from Ottawa.
“Currently there are federal compensation programs for farmers who’ve lost cattle to diseases such as tuberculosis and brucellosis, yet there is nothing being provided for anthrax,” Penner said.
Producers with more than 2,000 head of cattle on community pastures in the Vita area last week opted against vaccinating their animals.
The Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration said it plans to hire more staff to monitor livestock in community pastures.
Anthrax is not a highly contagious disease and most animals exposed to the infection do not succumb to it, according to the CFIA.
