The times change, and that is certainly evident with the current bovine tuberculosis outbreak here in Western Canada.
It was not so many years ago in 2003 when a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) found in a cow in Alberta spiralled the Canadian cattle industry into disarray. Exports crashed in the face of border closures around the world, and it took more than a decade to return to pre-BSE normalcy.
Tuberculosis today may not have the same level of fear it once did. Vaccinations and better controls have reduced the threat of the disease, and while there are still serious concerns in Africa regarding the disease, they are less acute in Canada.
So the announcement of the disease showing up in cattle here did not send a major shudder through the sector or cause border closures as was the case with BSE.
That said, the current outbreak, while not seen as a major threat in terms of transfer of the disease to humans, is significant in terms of impact on the producers whose cattle are involved, and that seems to be a growing number.
Federal officials have said at least 10,000 cattle are going to slaughter as a result of a bovine tuberculosis outbreak in western Canada.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has deemed a high risk for contracting or transmitting the infectious disease, even though only six cattle have tested positive for bovine TB since the first case was confirmed in September.
So far, quarantine orders have been issued at more than 40 cattle operations in southeast Alberta and southwest Saskatchewan, affecting more than 22,000 animals.
The CFIA obviously has the situation well-monitored, and is focusing on controlling the situation and casting an ever wider net.
That is good news for consumers.
For the producers, however, there are concerns. Farmers losing their animals as part of the slaughter are being compensated for their losses under CFIA guidelines, but there are other costs involved.
Maintaining cattle on the farm through the CFIA investigation costs producers money.
Cattle do not eat for free.
So when the cattle are held back from market, costs grow and producers must cover those costs.
The federal government has been approached for help, although response has been slower than producers would want. That is not surprising. Government responds slowly to isolated incidents, especially those without immediate threat to life. Aid usually rolls out over time, but never at the levels nor speed those affected call for.
In the case of agriculture, it is clearly a hole in the existing safety nets, although the likelihood of the situation changing in the future still seems remote, the current tuberculosis situation notwithstanding.
