Quarantine imposed on several ranches, which typically sell calves after weaning and aren’t set up to feed them
Ranchers in the Jenner and Suffield regions of southeastern Alberta are reeling after a quarantine was imposed when one cow tested positive for tuberculosis.
TB must be reported by law in Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has imposed quarantine on an unknown number of cattle in at least two community pastures in the Jenner region of southeastern Alberta.
Since cattle from several ranches commingle in such pastures, the quarantine affects numerous ranchers, though the exact number has not been confirmed.
“I’ve never seen despair like that in my life,” said Alberta Beef Producers chair Bob Lowe, who attended a meeting with ranchers and CFIA officials last week.
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“They’re still trying to joke about it, but they’re looking at quite a few thousand calves, I suspect, that really have no home.”
Typically, ranchers in that area sell calves at weaning. They have no facilities for feeding calves or any feed to provide.
“Nobody’s set up to feed calves,” said Lowe.
“Their income for the year is in quarantine, so they can’t sell for income so they can’t even buy feed to feed the calves. It can be pretty bad. We’re kind of talking to governments (to see) if there is any program or some sort of money or loan to get to these guys so they can at least buy feed for their calves.”
At least some of those affected pre-sold their calves at a September electronic auction, Lowe added. Now they can’t deliver on their contracts and in the meantime, the price has fallen by about 25 cents per pound.
Lowe said the CFIA has tested the index herd and as of Oct. 24 had started to test the rest of the cattle from the same community pastures. A blood test and a scratch test are being done, which are considered 80 and 70 percent accurate, respectively.
Any positive reactors to the test will be slaughtered and the lungs cultured to get a definitive diagnosis. Positive animals’ herdmates, and all those in the index herd, will be slaughtered, said Lowe.
The CFIA did not respond to queries by press time.
TB is not a disease that results in international border closures to trade, and cases in one small area of the country are not significant in the larger scope of Canadian cattle trade.
“But for those guys out at Suffield, it is a huge, huge, huge threat.”
Lowe said a small CFIA crew is doing the tests but the process should be expedited.
“In my own personal opinion, there shouldn’t be a vet in Alberta that’s not testing cattle in Jenner right now, just to get this done and over with.
“What CFIA has to understand is that there’s a whole industry out there that’s in limbo and they need to have the answers fast. I’ll be quite blunt. Bureaucratic paper pushing is not going to be acceptable. This has to happen and it has to happen fast.”
Lowe said it took six weeks for the CFIA to test the index herd after one cow tested positive for TB after being shipped to the United States.
“That’s just unacceptable. I know there’s protocols and I know there’s procedures and I know there’s been cutbacks. But let’s go, let’s do it.”
The affected region is home to a herd of about 7,000 wild elk that roam around the Suffield military base and its environs. That has raised the question as to whether elk were the source of the TB case.
ABP wants answers to that question.
“We don’t know what the source of the disease was, but we want a thorough investigation of the disease and it seems reasonable that the investigation will certainly involve wildlife,” said ABP executive director Rich Smith.
“This is the worst possible time of year for producers to have their cattle held. A lot of the producers out there have their cattle booked to go to sales already.”
ABP has registered its concern with government over the expanding elk herd at Suffield, as well as wildlife at Wood Buffalo National park in the northern region, because of disease risk they present.
The Suffield elk herd of about 250 was moved there in 1997-98 to graze the natural areas, replacing wild horses that once roamed the military base. The elk were free of disease at the time but as the population expanded, area ranchers have complained about wildlife moving into feed supplies and destroying fences.
Compensation is available if the CFIA orders animals destroyed. Other assistance may be possible through other government programs.
Registered cattle may be covered up to $10,000 and commercial cattle up to $4,500.
Alberta’s last case was 2007. British Columbia had an incident in 2011.
The B.C. case was in the Lumby area and six cattle were diagnosed with TB but the source of the disease was never confirmed, said Kevin Boon, manager of the B.C. Cattlemen’s Association.
Quarantines were established and the herd of more than 200 was destroyed.
The quarantine led to hardship for producers who could not move their cattle to pasture or market.
“It was in the spring and calving time and people were not able to get out on range. Where the financial burden came in is they were running out of feed and could not get them out because they had to keep in them in quarantine and close to home.”
It was also an emotionally taxing time because pregnant cows and calves had to be destroyed.
The CFIA website says TB-infected wildlife is not common in North America, but bovine TB has become established in elk, white-tailed deer and bison in specific geographic areas.
In Canada, the disease has been found in wood bison in and near Wood Buffalo National Park and the elk and deer of southwestern Manitoba in and around Riding Mountain National Park.
