Ottawa lifts all bovine TB quarantines on Prairie farms

EDMONTON The federal government says all quarantines imposed on Prairie farms and ranches because of a few cases of bovine tuberculosis have been lifted.

Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay says no additional cases of the infectious disease have been detected.

Bovine TB was found on an Alberta ranch in September 2016 and a total of six cattle from that herd tested positive for the same strain of the respiratory disease.

During the investigation, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency imposed quarantines on 170 ranches and farms in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and more than 30,000 cattle were tested.

The federal government says it has paid out $39 million in compensation to producers for 11,500 animals that were destroyed.

MacAulay says only a few cases being found during the investigation allowed Canada to retain its trade status with no disruption to international beef markets.

He says the investigation will not be officially closed until final lab results are received this spring.

The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association says removal of the quarantines is a milestone in the investigation.

The association says it will meet with the CFIA next month to discuss lessons learned.