CFIA to ramp up fines

[chalice]

GF I am for traceability but I am also for choice and improving an imperfect system. I don't need to be threatened with fines made an example of to the public of how we are enforcing traceability. If that is the case I will become a poodle mechanic and your on your own.

[grassfarmer]

So going back to my first post - how long to you think is an acceptable time for you to report your CCIA tag sales? As producers we need to know that when we pick up tags at a retail outlet we can go home, tag calves and then age verify them. If they don't get reported to CCIA the system breaks down and we might be penalised in the market place because cattle aren't age verified.

[chalice]

GF I think you have missed the point I was trying to make, so lets go with 24 hrs. Then you can go home tag your calves, age verify them and market them the next day.

[per]

Gf, I try to purchase as much as I can from my vet. Sure I might pay a little more (not usually) but when I phone up and ask a question I get "free" advise. I consider the drug and tag profit a retainer on the consulting that I don't pay for. Also keeps me conversing with him and her and they give me heads up on things that might not happen with out more frequent visits.

[grassfarmer]

chalice, I think you missed the point I was making. The reason for the increased fine from CFIA - retailers not passing on the purchaser info in a timely manner to CCIA. Without that link of the chain working the system doesn't work. I would ask you again - what would you consider a suitable timeline to be reporting the sales? indeed what has the allowable time been up to now for that matter?

per, I feel my vet sets his fees high enough that I don't have to subsidise him by purchasing higher priced inputs from him. I pay him for the work he does, buy my small amount of drugs and all my vaccines there. He only stocks Ivomec so I have to go elsewhere to buy the generic variety I prefer to use. I consider the "unpaid" phone advice from my vet part of his service and I think he would agree.

[Happytrails]

The world according to GF. Black is white, night is day, and disease is diagnosed by tags not veterinarians.

[smallguy]

Good Morning cattlemen!! Because I only have a handful of cattle, I usually do not have to much to say on this site, however I really do enjoy reading it. One thing I must say however, is that even though I feel that some sort of tracking should may be be done, I feel that this has gotten out of control. My neighbor however who has always had a passion for cattle, has made a prediction a while back concerning this CFIA. He claims that this will all come to a halt some day when the good old famous word "SUE" comes into play. He says that there will come a time here soon when some human life will be taken, in a terrible accident while tagging these cattle, and the CFIA will be the first to be sued, and they will probably lose. They have forced a dangerous situation on the caattleman. Sure people will argue about proper handling facilities, but were is the line drawn on what is considered proper. I feel he may be right, after all if people can try to sue tobacco companies, and were not FORCED into smoking, then how would the eyes of the court look at this. Food for thought!!

[smallguy]

Sorry, but maybe he was talking more of the CCIA than the CFIA.

[SADIE]

I will try to give perspective what it is like owning and operatiing a veterinary clinic in a rural community for 20 years.

Over the 20 years in practice I saw the evolution of alot of products biologicals, vaccines, endo ecto endocides, tags and equipment that was introduced to the industry. When a product was introduced we researched the insert packages on protocal, operation proceedures. The worst thing we wanted when a product was sold through our practice is "COMPLAINTS ABOUT THAT PRODUCT"---we are the first line of complaint. It takes time when we were often busy to handle the complaints. ie: poor Sulfa product that didn't dissolve when treating a pen of sick calves, Cydectin and all the problems that caused treating endo ectocides in cattle, the famous "chemcast" for chemically castration of calves.

Other than GF and a few others (who have had great success) the real complaints of RFID eartag retention in the adult cows and bulls was and still is being presented to the veterinary clinics and outlets that are selling these RFID eartags.

Since the Jan 2011 Grainnews of Lee Harts article the research that is now on this 40 minute DVD received the evidence that the OPERATING TEMPERATURES OF ALLFLEX RFID TAGS are 0C--50C. And Destron Operating Temps are -25C-50C. Why wasn't this information ever available to the practicing veterinarians who sell these eartags. It now is. How many days in the winter of 2010 and 2011 did temperatures drop below 0 C in Canada. How many days/nights with wind did temps drop below -25C in Canada?

As a veterinarian that survived 20 years in practice you always wanted to sell a superior product (To Prevent the Complaint time on Product).

Now lets look at the recent $6000.00 fine that was just sent out to distribution outlets. I have seen colleagues in their practices during the busy times that suddenly your office staff (often one) are gone for one or two days Like sickness, a funeral, child situation and the clinic is swamped. What happens when your computer goes down (again rural areas) and you are down for one day or two.

Again GF--Some veterinarians early on chose not to sell RFID eartags because of :low margin of profit, don't want to sell an inferior product. Now with this potential fine threatening of $6000.00 will be the "final nail" in the coffin for others to remove them from their shelf. Some producers do want to purchase all they can from their veterinarian but here will be another product removed from their shelves. Who wants to take the risk.

A non-compliance of a rule violation with the CFIA does not allow "due diliguence"----There is no exception to a rule.

[SADIE]

<a href="http://s1138.photobucket.com/albums/n523/kphaber/?action=view&current=img187.jpg" target="_blank"></a>

I just got this photobucket (picture transfer) figured out in the last two days. I will send you this one of the 3 operating temps guidance on RFID eartags.

Could this be why Australia has a better retention rate since they can graze 11 months of the year??