Outrageous cuts to BIO and DHI

By Joseph Meagher, Contributing Editor

"A significant part of preventing another BSE crisis is through the animal tracking efforts of DHI and Bio."

Since the BSE crisis erupted in May 2003, government agencies at every level have
trumpeted the superiority of Canada’s food safety programs and have touted Canada’s cattle tracking system as a key means of protecting the consumer.

Yet OMAF’s cuts to Ontario’s three Genetic Livestock Improvement companies have left Ontario’s cattle tracking program in the hands of three privately-owned companies, Beef Improvement Ontario, Dairy Herd Improvement and Ontario Swine Improvement.

The name of the game is pound wise and penny foolish. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has made more than $90 million available for protecting consumers from BSE and has set up the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency (CCIA). The irony is that the CCIA gets its Ontario data from BIO and while the CCIA is publicly funded, BIO no longer is.

The question of tracking cattle in Canada is a public health issue that benefits the consumers and benefits the cattle industry. But why should Ontario’s farmers have to pay the cost of managing, administering and maintaining a program that is in the public interest? There is no objection to farmers buying ear tags, vaccinating their cattle or keeping accurate records. But maintaining and building a database is another matter.

Where else in Ontario is a public health issue the responsibility of the private sector? The closest example is Ontario’s clean air program where cars must now be tested for emission. While the car owner pays for the check up, the results of the test go to the Ministry of Transportation where the data is stored and renewal notices are send out.

However, the data compiled by Ontario’s three Livestock Genetic Improvement companies is private data held in the hands of private companies. The McGuinty government is callously counting on the good will of the farm community to continue to provide vital information. It is doubtful other private sector companies would be so magnanimous.

What’s happening elsewhere is different than in Ontario. The Quebec government is spending the $23 million required to build a database and cattle tracking system, a system similar to what BIO already has in place.

In the U.S. more than $44 million in taxpayer money over the next 18 months will be going to a number of state agriculture departments to collect data on local herds, as part of the $200 million National Animal Identification Initiative.

In Ontario, this isn’t a question simply of money — the total OMAF contributed was less than $3 million, about 60 per cent of BIO’s budget and 12 per cent of DHI – but a matter of respect for the dairy, cattle and swine industry in this province.

Since the BSE crisis began, BIO and DHI, have been integral to the solution. Canada’s single case of BSE was traced through the national ID system. But when the Washington State BSE case was discovered, the story was quite different. Although the Washington animal had a DHI tag, only its Canadian offspring and contact herds could be tracked and tested. But because its offspring in the U.S. wasn’t tagged, 400 calves had to be slaughtered. A poor identification program can be costly.

A significant part of preventing another BSE crisis and keeping Canadian beef safe is through the animal tracking efforts of DHI and BIO. This is part of the solution and yet, Dalton McGuinty cuts funding to the organizations that play a big part in the solution.

It’s unthinkable. It’s outrageous.