Foot dragging again

[rusty1]

Current Update: November 26, 2003
Daily Update for Wednesday November 26
November 26, 2003
Canadian Cattlemen's Association

This is the Daily Update for Wednesday November 26 brought to you by the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and DuPont Canada.

There have been no major developments on the BSE issue since yesterday. For information on income support programs available in your province contact your provincial agriculture department.

Yesterday the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced a review of current requirements for the importation of feeder cattle from the United States into Canadian feedlots. Historically U.S. feeder cattle imported into Canada during the summer months must be tested for the livestock diseases anaplasmosis and bluetongue, with the exception of terminal feedlots participating in a pilot project. U.S. cattle producers view these testing requirements as an artificial trade barrier not based on science. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association has strongly supported changing the testing requirements for many years. Removing non-scientific barriers to trade leading to greater harmonization of the North American beef industry is part of a shared commitment between the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and the U.S. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

[wilagro]

Don't give in to the Americans on this one. Do we want to compound our present BSE problem with even more problems down the road. There were valid reasons for the testing in the past and they are still valid. If we depend on veterinarians to CONTROL or MANAGE the possible outbreaks of "NEW to US" diseases we are being entirely shortsighted and dangerously stupid.

[cowman]

I get this feeling that the "fix" is in on this one! Someone cut a deal in a backroom! Consider that even some American states won't allow cattle from other states in without a test!
If the deal is we'll take your live cattle if you'll take our bluetongue cattle then I guess they have us! We are caught between a rock and a hard place on this one!

[rsomer]

Cowman, you are right. The fix is in on this on. The CCA claims the requirement to ask for a blood test on diseased US feeders coming into Canada during the summer months is a non-scientific barrier to trade. What the science really is saying if these animals are allowed to enter Canada our herd will become infected as well. Our beef organizations are listening to the feedlots on this issue, not the cow calf operators. They are taking your checkoff dollars at the same time as they are promoting initiatives which will reduce the health status of the Canadian cow herd.

If producers have concerns about their herd becoming infected with bluetongue and/or anaplasmosis they need to contact their federal member of parliament right away and make sure their MP is aware of the problem and understands the issue.

You can find contact information for your local MP based on your postal code at http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/house/PostalCode.asp?lang=E

[kato]

Testing is not a "barrier" to trade. It's an inconvenience to the big guys.

We have been testing for years, and never considered it a barrier. It's just plain common sense. Remember the old days when we were working on brucellosis, and TB? We didn't complain, we just did it. In Manitoba, we're still doing it.

Don't worry, if we had the bluetongue here, and it wasn't in the States, the story would be a little different.

[wilagro]

Bluetongue and anaplasmosis are still REPORTABLE diseases in Canada.
Do an internet search on these diseases and be informed. We do not want these diseases in Canada. If VanClief allows US cattle imports during the summer months we will live to regret his decision.

We have enough problems already.

Phone/fax or write to your MP and protest. There are enough canadian cattle for the feeders to feed and profit from. Leave things as they are.

My opinion.

[topper]

Good point Wilagro, the exact same argument that the Americans are using. They don't have BSE and they don't want it, they don't need our cattle. So what would you suggest, maybe we should keep on using health issues to block their feeders and they should keep on using health issues to block ours. I don't thing anybody in the cattle industry wants that.

[rsomer]

topper: The Americans don't have BSE (or at lease so they say) but they won't get it from our feeders going south. The studies done to date confirm that we will get bluetongue and anaplasmosis if American calves come north in the summer, so that is not exactly fair is it?

Remember we never ever blocked US cattle coming into Canada, all that was ever required was a simple blood test and if the calves and cows tested negative the American cattle were welcome in our country any time of year. Compare this to the American position on BSE where our cows are blocked, period, that’s final, they ain't coming into the States. No test, no protocol, not even beef from an animal over 30 months is going to darken their border.

The Americans are blocking our cows going south and will be blocking our cows going south for years to come, so why are we so willing to infect our herd with these very serious diseases like this? Why would we do this? It doesn't make sense. The Americans have not done us any favours.

The real reason the rules on bluetongue and anaplasmosis are being reviewed is because the big Canadian feedlots want access to those American feeder calves so they won't have to bid up on our Canadian calves.

Remember BSE is considered a less serious list B disease where the OIE has classified bluetongue as the most serious list A disease along with other list A diseases such as rinderpest.

If we are going to trade health status, lets wait until at least the Americans are accepting our cows

[topper]

Rsomer: do you have links to these studies you talk about, I would like to read the science on this issue. I am still having problems with a mosquito transmitted disease stopping at the American-Canadian border. Is this perhaps more about losing our disease free status or on actually getting the disease. I know a lot of countries use health issues to block trade instead of using tariffs. I hope you can convince me that this is not the case with blue tongue and anaplasmosis.

[wilagro]

For more information on anaplasmosis go to http://cattletoday.info/diseases/anaplasmosis.htm

A very persistant disease...once an animal gets it and even after treatment remains a carrier for life.

[rsomer]

topper: See http://www.usaha.org/reports/reports01/r01btbrv.html

You may get more and better information by speaking with your local government vet (CFIA) who may be able to point you to actual survey results.

For these diseases to spread, two things need to happen. There must be a population of competent vectors and a significant source of infection. Indiscriminate movement of infected livestock will serve to rapidly spread the disease to areas previously disease free by providing a local pool of infection that did not exist before. The vectors that transmit these diseases are all present in Alberta and Saskatchewan during the summer.

It would seem likely that the insect responsible for spreading bluetongue, culicoides sonerensis, has blown north across the border and infected a few Canadian animals each summer. But if a 100,000 US feeders come into Alberta during the summer this represents a significantly large local pool of infection from which the indigenous insect population can draw upon to spread the disease beyond the terminal feedlots into the surrounding cow herds. I don't believe the science can say at this time just how rapid the spread of bluetongue would be until more research has been done. It all depends upon the ability of the culicoides insect to efficiently transmit bluetongue in our climate. However the CCA isn't waiting to find out, they want these feeders to be coming north right now.

Mosquitoes and horseflies and the other biting insects that spread anaplasmosis only can spread the disease for 15 minutes after feeding on an infected animal, therefore the spread of anaplasmosis by mosquitoes flying north from the US is not a concern. However once infected feeders are present in Alberta feedlots in large numbers during the summer there will be no way to contain the disease within a terminal lot. The spread of anaplasmosis beyond the terminal feedlot into the surrounding herds will be rapid.

[topper]

Rsomer,Wilagro: thanks for the links, I will check them out. I did speak with our chief vet in Manitoba and he didn't seem as concerned about the spread of these diseases. He did however say that as soon as we lose our disease free status that would affect things like semen exports to countries without blue tongue and anaplasmosis. Anyway I guess I better get reading.

[rsomer]

topper: I found this link that suggests the insect vector responsible for spreading bluetongue is not present east of Manitoba. It may not be as much of a problem in your area.

An excerpt from: http://www.usaha.org/reports/reports02/r02btbrv.html

In late 1999, the Canadian beef cattle industry requested year round imports of feeder cattle without bluetongue testing. In August 2000, an Alberta Agriculture risk assessment determined this to result in an unacceptable risk of bluetongue introduction beyond the Okanagan Valley. The industry proposed further mitigating measures including quarantine feedlots and vector control. In October 2001, a CFIA risk assessment determined continued risk of bluetongue introduction. In December 2001, the Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA) undertook the development of a pilot project for limited imports during the summer of 2002. The proposal was rejected by other Canadian stakeholders. The major concerns included: lack of supportive risk assessment, risk to wildlife and the development of anti-microbial resistance (via anaplasmosis treatment). The CCA is developing a further proposal.

Culicoides sonorensis is recognized to be the principal bluetongue vector in Canada. It has not been found east of Manitoba. CFIA risk assessors determined that bluetongue is not a hazard for ruminants imported into and staying in Eastern Canada. This requires movement control between east and west and CFIA is investigating regulatory options. A proposal to import feeder cattle into eastern Canada during summer months will be discussed with industry. No regulatory change is required for import under permit, with a negative test for anaplasmosis, in summer months only.

The three-year serological survey (2001-2003) involves a total of 15,000 head of cattle (5,000 head/year), imported into Canada under the Restricted Feeder Program. Animals are bled upon arrival for processing at the Alberta feedlots and the serum is tested for antibody to bluetongue by a cELISA and for antibody to anaplasma by an rcELISA at the Montana State Diagnostic Laboratory. The serum neutralization assay is used to confirm bluetongue positive samples and to determine virus serotype. The results to date indicate that the prevalence of bluetongue in Montana feeder cattle is approximately 0.37 percent.

What is the threat of bluetongue? The general distribution of the disease is determined by the presence of a competent vector. C. sonorensis and C. occidentalis are considered the two vectors in North America. The virus must replicate in the vector and it needs an ambient temperature of 10C for 10 days. So far, the Okanagan Valley is the only place in Canada that has satisfied these requirements

[topper]

Rsomer: this is probably why I have been getting conflicting answers, it seems like the science is incomplete on this issue. Its too bad the powers that be had to wait until the last minute and didn't study this issue a little better and a little earlier. Now when its decision time its a little late. I think probably Cowman is right on this issue the fix is in already.

[kato]

MMMMM......What I am wondering, is why are Americans in such a hurry to send cattle to Canada to feed?

Don't they know how hard it is to send the beef back to the States?

Is there something we don't know? Is this the big trade off they are waiting for? After all, if the CFIA vet is correct, and I'm sure he is, all we have to do is become a positive country for these diseases, and we lose future potential markets due to this as well.

One thing we should have learned from this BSE disaster, is how important protecting markets is. Some day the BSE thing will be a thing of the past, believe it or not, and we will be back to business. Why compromise on these diseases? I know our neighbours to the south wouldn't.