Alberta beef producers whose herds are under quarantine due to a provincial order guarding against bovine tuberculosis will receive financial compensation and MLA Glenn van Dijken says some of it will come from the AgriRecovery program.
“It is a very serious situation,” he said, adding the federally-reportable disease has the potential to cause damage to the industry.
“It is a disease that does not all of a sudden put roadblocks in the way of trade but we need to get on top of this and it looks like the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is taking the appropriate steps. It cannot be underestimated.”
On a question of whether or not bovine tuberculosis is on the same scale as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), more commonly known as mad cow disease, van Dijken said he did not think so.
“It is not unusual to find tuberculosis in many different places around the globe,” he said. “I’m not an expert in it but I don’t think it is the same, regardless of the seriousness of the situation.”
It is an issue van Dijken does not want to see become a full-fledged outbreak however.
“If that happens it will be a serious blow to our Canadian cattle herds.”
However, van Dijken said one issue is the impact the quarantine is having on unaffected herds.
“Even those animals that are located outside of the zones, those neighbouring herds are under effective quarantine as well. Nobody wants to buy those animals either,” he said.
“Our producers are facing a lot of uncertainty going forward and they are looking towards the government to help them through this. I think it is important to recognize that when the federal government comes in and says ‘No, you can’t sell your animals’, it is in the best interest of the entire Canadian herd.”
At the same time, van Dijken said, the producers need to be able to rely on government assistance.
“The province is facing many different challenges at this time, whether it is from the energy sector or dealing with wildfire recovery and now there are a few agricultural issues as well. We know there will be times of trial alongside our successes but the will of the people to move onward is strong and we, as Albertans, will pull through these situations too.”
van Dijken said $220 million has been allotted for assistance through programs like the AgriRecovery program.
“The compensation for bovine tuberculosis is going to be primarily federal in nature but I believe there will be a partnership with the province,” he said.
