Bovine tuberculosis caused some ranches to shut down temporarily
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com
Some cattle ranchers in Alberta are looking for financial assistance after 30 ranches were put under quarantine as a result of a bovine tuberculosis detection.
Kevin Stopanski’s ranch in Jenner, Alberta, was one of the quarantined properties, and the timing could not have been worse.
“This is where our income comes to pay for loan and land payments and that kind of thing,” he told CBC. “So now under quarantine, no animal can actually arrive or leave these quarantined lands, so we’re sitting here looking at all these dollars and there’s no compensation.
“This is our bread and butter.”
Stopanski estimates ranchers could be losing $5 million, and that doesn’t include the cost of feed.
Bob Lowe, chair of Alberta Beef Producers, said he’s visited some of the affected properties and it’s a dire situation.
“It’s huge to those guys,” he told CBC. “I’ve been out there a few times, and you don’t go away with a good feeling.”
Alberta Agriculture Minister Oneil Carlier said he’s continuing to communicate with the federal government to decide what the best course of action is to help producers.
According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the United States Department of Agriculture alerted them that a case of Bovine TB had been detected in an Alberta cow after the animal was processed.
The CFIA is continuing to investigate the source of the infection.