As Canadians from coast to coast, their American neighbours and officials around the world awaited word on the dilemma wreaked when a single cow from the Fairview region tested positive for BSE – bovine spongiform encephalopathy – last week, cattlemen in the Slave Lake area said the resulting border closures and slowdowns at auction markets could be just as painful for the smalltime producer as the large feedlot operations.
“Any producer would be concerned about something that could see your income cut in half,” says Smith farmer Ed Yoder.
“This is devastating to the whole industry because when that border is shut down, everyone is in the same boat – and everything is on hold across the country,” threatening the livelihood of every operator.
As inspectors worked feverishly to find the cause of that single cow’s disease last week cattle producers could only sit idly by, said Yoder. “We hope and pray this isn’t any worse than we already know it is.” Because as long as the United States and several other borders are closed to Canadian imports, the entire industry will suffer, and put a huge strain on both the Alberta and Canadian economy.
“I really feel sorry for the young 4-H club members who were just getting ready for achievement day and their sales,” the Smith rancher added. “They’ve worked so hard all year long on those calves” and now won’t be able to sell the animals when they’re in prime condition.
Referring to cattlemen as ‘pro-active’, he praised the ear-tag tracking system that industry instituted a year or two ago to keep track of every animal from birth as it moves from farm to farm throughout its life. He admitted, however, the system was launched just a little too late to help with this search.
“But I have confidence in the system, and that they’ll be able to track this thing down. And I’m waiting, just like everybody in Canada and the United States” as investigators dig for answers.
Yoder says no one can blame American officials for closing their border to imports from this country.
“It’s just like SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak in Toronto) – you have to take all the precautions you can” to prevent possible spread of the disease.
But at the same time, he predicted, “if this (closure) continues, you’re going to see a lot of people out of work.”
The Smith rancher said he could only imagine the devastation felt by anyone who must watch as his or her entire herd is destroyed. “It’s your whole livelihood gone."

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