Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Bovine TB case of little concern to Ontario producers

Friday, May 16, 2008

by SUSAN MANN

“Right now we haven’t really heightened our alertness based on the fact that there’s a case in Manitoba but it is something we’re keeping at the back of our minds,” says Lianne Appleby, OCA communications manager. “I guess with it being so easily transmissible between cattle is something that we do have to be mindful of.”

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has done a good job of containing the TB to the one farm and destroying any animals exposed to the infected animal, she adds.

The 240-head herd in Manitoba is located within 10 kilometres of Riding Mountain National Park, in a section of the Riding Mountain Eradication Area that’s considered to be at the highest risk for bovine TB. The area is known to harbour bovine TB in wild elk and deer.

The herd was tested in March as part of the CFIA’s regular enhanced surveillance in the eradication area. The test results for the cow were suspicious and the animal was ordered destroyed. Further testing of tissue samples in CFIA’s Ottawa lab confirmed the cow had bovine TB. No part of the infected cow entered the human or animal food chain.

The CFIA is now investigating the movement of animals both in and out of the Manitoba farm for the past three years, says spokesman Alain Charette. That investigation isn’t done yet. If cattle from this farm moved to any Ontario farms, those herds would be checked.

In addition, any other animals that may have been infected on the Manitoba farm will be ordered destroyed and the farmer will be compensated.

The risk of cattle in Ontario getting bovine TB from wild animals is minimal, says Dr. Warren Skippon, president of the Ontario Association of Bovine Practitioners.

Ontario doesn’t have any bovine TB eradication areas similar to the Riding Mountain one in Manitoba.

Bovine TB is spread through feces, by breathing, coughing, sneezing, and through shared feed and water. Cows can spread it to calves through colostrum or milk. The disease can lie dormant in an animal for many years. Generally farmers don’t know their cows are infected until signs, such as lesions in lymph nodes or internal organs, are found at the packing plant.

Finding bovine TB in Manitoba doesn’t pose a threat to the general public’s health but humans can get TB from animals through prolonged close contact with an infected cow or by drinking its unpasteurized milk. The strain of TB typically found in cattle, called M. Bovis, prefers a higher body temperature than the human strain.

Even though it has one confirmed case of bovine TB, Manitoba is still considered to be TB free under the federal Health of Animals Regulations. Canada’s status for international trade of animals and animal products is not affected by the case. Ontario is also considered to be TB free. The last time bovine TB was found here was in a dairy cattle herd in Peterborough County in 2002.

For most countries that are classified bovine TB free, some transient positives in the domestic animal population are considered acceptable. “We have an eradication and surveillance program in place so that’s why we get that status,” says Dr. Skippon. “For some other countries that don’t have those in place they’re not given the same status.” BF

Current Issue

June/July 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Calf Auction Raises Funds for Youth

Monday, June 30, 2025

Wyatt Westman-Frijters from Milverton won a heifer calf named Ingrid through a World Milk Day promotion by Maplevue Farms and a local Perth, Ontario radio station. Instead of keeping the calf, 22-year-old Westman-Frijters chose to give back to the community. The calf was sent to the... Read this article online

Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility

Friday, June 27, 2025

Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online

Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost

Friday, June 27, 2025

The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online

Health Canada sets rules for drone spraying

Wednesday, June 25, 2025

Health Canada has approved the use of drones, also called Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS), for pesticide application under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA). Drones are considered aircraft by Transport Canada, but Health Canada treats them differently due to their unique... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top