Bovine TB scare seen now as a ‘one-off’

Continued monitoring for bovine tuberculosis in the region’s cattle herd may not be as intrusive as first thought, the News has learned one day after it was announced that all area ranches and herds had emerged from quarantine procedures.

It’s been 16 months since measures were first imposed to limit transportation and sale of animals from an initial 79 herds on ranches in southeast Alberta and southwest Saskatchewan. Another 71 ranches were eventually the sites of testing, as federal inspectors sought out other cases and the source of the infection.

With the number of confirmed cases still at the original six, and with no evidence the disease is present in wildlife at CFB Suffield, industry groups believe only general observation of certain herds as well as elk on the base will be needed.

“We still have to wait for the final report, but we’re not expecting any surprises,” said Karin Schmid, a production specialist with the Alberta Beef producers.

“We don’t have any indication that it’s widespread ... It truly does look like a one-off at this point.”

A cow from a Jenner Area ranch was flagged by U.S. meat inspectors in Sept. 2016, setting off investigation by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency that eventually saw 30,000 animals tested, 11,500 destroyed, and cleaning and disinfection protocols put in place as a number of locations.

CFIA officials announced Monday that testing had been completed. No other cases were confirmed both on farm or post-mortem testing at slaughter, though the final laboratory work will conclude this spring when a report will be made public.

Ranches that were depopulated have completed the disinfection process and have begun restocking herds, according to the CFIA statement. Further testing of those herds will take place next fall, though the federal agency stresses there are no restrictions on cattle movement.

Schmid believes continued testing at CFB Suffield by Alberta Fish and Game officials and limited surveillance of property where the disease was present will be all that’s required. The province will inspect 120 elk harvested at Suffield block in each of the next three years.

Member of Parliament Glen Motz said successful completion of the investigation should mean the marketplace can have confidence in the area’s beef production.

“It’s great news for producers that they can get back to the business of operating their farms and ranches as usual,” said Motz, who worked on the file when it was before the Commons Agriculture Committee last in 2016 and 2017.

Eventually, $39 million in compensation was paid for culled animals, and about $17 million was paid by Alberta and Ottawa to help pay interim costs.

“It’s an example of the value of co-operation for the betterment of an industry that’s critical for the local and Canadian economies.”

A surveillance program described by Schmid would be much less than what was required after the discovery of the disease in Manitoba in the late 1990s near Riding Mountain National Park.

There, ranchers were required to muster cattle for annual testing up until last year when inspectors were confident that, after years without a positive test, the disease was not present.

That situation was made more difficult when the disease was also found in deer populations in the nearby park.