A recent announcement by the USDA removes pre-export tuberculosis (TB) testing requirements for breeding cattle and bison from Manitoba, Canada destined for the United States.
The recently lifted testing requirement by the USDA goes back many years when several bovine TB-infected cattle herds were found linked to elk and deer populations in the Riding Mountain National Park area. In response, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) established a special surveillance zone known as the Riding Mountain Eradication Area (RMEA) in 2003. According to the CFIA, more than 234,000 individual livestock tests have been conducted since the early 2000s.
The last positive test result in cattle was found in 2008, but CFIA and cattle producers continued testing animals and breeding stock remained blocked from the U.S. without a negative test. Steers, spayed heifers and slaughter animals have been and remain exempt from pre-export TB testing according to information on the Manitoba Department of Agriculture’s website.
The announcement was welcomed by the Manitoba Beef Producers (MBP). “This is a tremendous win for the beef producers of Manitoba. For many years producers in the Riding Mountain Eradication Area have borne a heavy cost in the yearly mustering and surveillance testing of their animals. This USDA decision recognizes the decades of hard work undertaken by MBP and producers on the bovine TB issue and is very good news for our sector,” said MBP President Ben E. Fox. “It is a testament to the diligence of the producers in the RMEA, as well as the efforts of many other stakeholders that we have achieved this long sought-after result.”
The USDA announcement on June 18 noted two modifications in regard to the importation of cattle from Canada.
“USDA will no longer require bovine tuberculosis testing for cattle and bison from the Province of Manitoba.
“The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency will simplify the management of returning U.S.-origin or Canadian-origin breeder cattle remaining in the other country for more than 60 days (more than 90 days for exhibit cattle) by accepting each country’s original permanent identification and ear tags.”
Dr. Ann Allain, CFIA’s senior veterinary officer, told WLJ, “It is fairly straightforward—as the TB testing for Manitoba-origin cattle and bison was only applied to those animals exported for breeding purposes; the removal only changed that certification. Slaughter and feeder animals are inspected at slaughter, so the TB restrictions were not applied to those types of animals exported from Manitoba.” She added, “International meat trade is also not affected as federal inspection on meat exports is recognized as equivalent in both Canada and the USA.”
Manitoba’s bovine TB coordinator, Dr. Allan Preston, commented, “It is gratifying to see the hard work of the many partners finally rewarded. Manitoba had its last case of bovine tuberculosis in 2008—a long 10 years later, the USDA has recognized our TB-free status and all federal U.S. restrictions on Manitoba breeding stock moving into the U.S. have been lifted. My hat is off especially to the dedicated cattle producers in the Riding Mountain Eradication Area whose efforts have made this TB freedom a reality.”
[inline_image file=”10a45e5733365061c1bd848c7bc2e801.jpg” caption=”Map showing Riding Mountain Eradication Area.”]
“The domestic restrictions and surveillance in and around the Riding Mountain Eradication Area are what have allowed for the recognition by the USDA of the cattle and farmed bison herds in Manitoba as free of bovine TB,” explained Allain. She said the collaborative effort among industry organizations—such as the MBP and various levels of government including Parks Canada, Manitoba Sustainable Development, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Manitoba Agriculture, First Nations and the Manitoba Wildlife Federation—is recognized by the CFIA as crucial to the success of the program.
Canadian cattle producers remain diligent in their efforts to prevent the spread of the disease from deer and elk. Special measures include barrier fencing to protect feed supplies and the use of livestock guardian dogs. These measures will continue to reduce the risk of interaction with wildlife that could carry bovine TB.
Allain noted, “Canada—CFIA, other government departments and producers—must now maintain and demonstrate this high health status through various ongoing surveillance programs.”
Bovine TB is a chronic, slowly progressive respiratory disease of cattle. Infected animals may transmit infection to other animals in close proximity. Cattle rarely show visible signs of illness, and individual testing of cattle herds is necessary to determine if animals are infected. The U.S. has nearly eliminated bovine TB due to a cooperative eradication campaign, and although the disease does appear from time to time, the United States is considered TB-free with the exception of Michigan, which has a “modified accredited” status.
According to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the type of bovine TB that has been found in both cattle and white-tailed deer in the northeastern Lower Peninsula of Michigan is unique to that area and can be identified as separate from bovine TB from other states.
Many states have their own protocols for TB testing aside from USDA guidelines, so Canadian producers are advised to check local regulations before shipping breeding cattle. — Rae Price, WLJ editor
