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Ranchers.net

Canada changes bluetongue regulations
June 5, 2006

— Producers on both sides of the border expect anaplasmosis rule will follow within weeks.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has proposed an easing of bluetongue restrictions on imports of cattle from the U.S. In a mid-May announcement, CFIA listed a set of regulations which is expected to pave the way for allowing greater numbers of feeder and breeding cattle to be shipped into Canada. It will also reduce direct costs for producers by eliminating the need for the approximately $15 per head testing fee.

“After carefully weighing the relevant scientific information, the CFIA is proposing that in addition to eastern Canada, bluetongue restrictions be lifted for all classes of cattle, deer, goats, sheep and other ruminants imported year round into western Canada from any state in the U.S.,” the report said. The report also will remove any restrictions on the movement of animals. “As a result, the CFIA would only conduct an investigation into death losses in domestic ruminants such as deer and sheep in the event of a bluetongue outbreak. Easing restrictions would also mean that movement controls for animals moving out of the Okanagan Valley to other areas in Canada would no longer apply even if bluetongue activity is detected,” CFIA said.

Alberta Beef Producers Association spokesman Rick Overwater said producers on the Canadian side of the border are as pleased about the decision as U.S. producers.

“Since the science doesn’t really support the CFIA’s current bluetongue importation policy as it currently stands, we have long lobbied to strike it down in an effort for fair trade to benefit both Canada and the U.S.,” Overwater said. “Hopefully we can see this through, it’s certainly taking a lot of work on our part at this very time.”

The incidence of bluetongue in Canada is extremely low. According to information from the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, more than 15,000 random tests of cattle since 1975 have not turned up any evidence of the disease. Scientists attribute the low prevalence to the fact that Canada is on the far northern boundary of the insects which carry the disease, the Culicoides midges, which are also known as biting gnats or no-see-ums. U.S. states which border Canada are also at very low risk for outbreaks of bluetongue with the exception of Washington’s Okanogan Valley where the disease initially passed over the border to Canada nearly 40 years ago.

Bluetongue is an insect-borne viral disease which infects sheep, cattle, goats and other cervids like deer and pronghorn antelope. Although it does cause economic losses in cattle, they are generally considered mild with minor consequences. The disease cannot be spread from animal to animal. In sheep, however, bluetongue is particularly damaging. In infected flocks, as many as half of the animals may die.

A bluetongue infection causes inflammation, swelling and hemorrhage of the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, and tongue. Inflammation and soreness of the feet also are associated with bluetongue. In sheep, the tongue and mucous membranes of the mouth become swollen, hemorrhagic, and may look red or dirty blue in color, thus giving the disease its name.

Alberta Beef Producers vice chair Erik Butters welcomed the action by CFIA.

“I just returned from two days in Ottowa, meeting with the MPs and I can tell you that we have gotten more done in the past 3 months with this new government than in the past 18 years,” Butters said. “As frustrated as producers south of the border are, I assure you that up here we are just as annoyed with this trade irritant.”

The Office International des Epizooties, the international animal health agency responsible for monitoring animal health, lists bluetongue as a class A disease which means it has the potential for rapid spread and has major significance in international trade.

The proposed CFIA changes to import regulations will eliminate the rigorous testing regiment required by Canadian officials in the past and were considered crucial to future trade normalization talks between the two nations.

“Canada’s bluetongue-related import restrictions have been a real obstacle for U.S. cattlemen for many years,” said Terry Stokes, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) chief executive officer. “NCBA and its state affiliates have worked hard to eliminate this trade barrier and ensure that our cattlemen have fair access to the Canadian market for both feeder and breeding cattle. Bringing an end to these restrictions once and for all is a real breakthrough.”

Jay Truitt, NCBA’s vice president of government affairs said, “full access to Canadian buyers is important to many of our cattlemen who produce feeder cattle, as well as breeding stock. This change will make that possible without raising any health risks or herd health issues.”

CFIA said in its announcement it expects to release a decision on anaplasmosis by late spring but the timing could depend on data yet to be provided by U.S. authorities.

Many see the decision as a first step in the effort to aid negotiations over the resumption of breeding age imports of cattle from Canada into the U.S., a fact acknowledged by CFIA in their report.

“This is considered to be a critical issue by the beef cattle industry in Canada, particularly as the (USDA) moves forward with its rule making process in relation to BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) and the restoration of market access for a number of commodities not covered by the “Minimal Risk Rule” that was announced in January 2005,” the report said. “These commodities include breeding cattle older than thirty months and beef or other products derived from these animals. It is firmly believed by the industry that if Canada continues to maintain restrictions for bluetongue and anaplasmosis, there will be opposition from within the U.S. cattle industry for the USDA’s proposed rule, which is expected to be released for public consultation within the next few months.

Butters said his government is committed to removing both barriers.

“During our meetings this week, the MPs assured us that as soon as the bluetongue issue is resolved, anaplasmosis will be at the top of the list This will be followed by a final rule, possibly towards the end of the year.”
Although the likelihood of the disease spreading outside the Okanogan Valley is minimal, the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association has announced intentions to create a five-year indemnity fund to offset any potential death losses if they occur in sheep flocks in western Canada. — John Robinson, WLJ Editor
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