Chronic issues must be addressed

Every beef producer in Manitoba has a stake in seeing TB eradicated in the area around Riding Mountain National Park

Farm groups often bemoan the fact that it can be difficult to work with governments. You will also often hear associations complain that one department is pursuing objectives that are diametrically opposite to the initiatives of another branch of government. Unfortunately, these complaints often contain a grain of truth. However, it is also true that

Free hunting offered near Riding Mountain to beat TB

It’s not quite an all-you-can-shoot buffet, but a limited number of free deer hunting licences and an extended season are the latest tools being used in the ongoing effort to eradicate bovine tuberculosis near Riding Mountain National Park. So far, 140 free deer harvest tags have been handed out by Manitoba Conservation covering the special


Hopes high for soon-to-be-appointed TB co-ordinator

The imminent appointment of a TB co-ordinator will hopefully end the “bureaucratic gridlock” and reform the effort to eradicate bovine tuberculosis in the Riding Mountain area, says the general manager of Manitoba Beef Producers. “It hasn’t been announced, but it’s very close,” Cam Dahl told attendees at the association’s recent District 12 meeting. “It’s something



CCA Gets Cash To Search For New And Improved TB Test

The federal government will fund the search for a new and improved diagnostic test for bovine tuberculosis, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has announced. The goal is to find a blood-based screening test for TB that is as good or better than the caudal fold test that has been in use since 1885, said Louis Desautels,

Judge Rejects Rancher’s Claim TB Test Is Unsafe

The cost of not complying with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s bovine TB surveillance program is going up. Last week, Rossburn-area rancher Rodney Checkowski was fined $2,500 in a Brandon court on two counts under the Health of Animals Act, one for failing to comply with notices under the act, and one for refusing to


No TB Found In RMNP This Year

There were no positive bovine tuberculosis test results in Riding Mountain National Park this past year and that shows eradication measures are working, according to project manager Ken Kingdon. “It makes us feel optimistic that the program is working, but we’re not really ready to say that our program is done,” said Kingdon. “We’re not

CFIA Looks To Change TB Test

The caudal fold test, which has been in use for over 100 years, may be in for a long-overdue retirement, according to CFIA senior vet Dr. Maria Koller-Jones. A new blood-screening test, called fluorescent polarization assay, or FPA-TB, was validated and approved for use in 2007 by the CFIA. Since then, it has been used


TB Testing Makes More Sense In Some Countries Than Others

“We are committed to eradicating the disease, and believe it can be done.” – DR. MARI A KOLLER-JONES Battle-fatigued ranchers on the front lines of the fight against bovine tuberculosis near Riding Mountain National Park aren’t alone in questioning whether ongoing eradication efforts are worth it. Dr. Paul Torgerson, a U. K.-born veterinarian who tested

Michigan Battles Bovine TB In Deer, Cattle

“The big issue is that we still continue to find bovine TB in whitetail deer. So, there’s that reservoir that continues to exist that isn’t getting worse or getting better and is a constant source of bacteria for our cattle.” – Daniel Grooms Although it was declared TB free in 1979, Michigan state animal health