C B C . C A N e w s | May 29, 2003
WINNIPEG-- Canadian cattle farmers, coping with the impact of mad cow disease on their hurting industry, now face a new dilemma: how to get rid of stock that has died of natural causes.
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The short-term solution has been to dump the animals in landfill sites, but according to Ron Bonnett, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, if the pile-up continues for much longer, "it has the potential to become a crisis."
In an average week, Canadian farmers dispose of about 45 million kilograms of dead stock, most often at rendering plants across Canada and the United States.
But since the detection of mad cow disease in Western Canada last week, the demand for this type of cattle had dropped by 50 per cent.
The one hope for Canadian farmers is to have the U.S. lift its beef ban soon, which would regenerate need for rendered product and for dead stock.
A solution must come soon, says Dr. Allan Preston, director of Manitoba Agriculture and Food's Veterinary Services Branch. He says dead animals can't be disposed of in the environment and caution must be taken to deter contamination.C B C . C A N e w s:
