Bovine TB cases climb to 6 in Alberta, CFIA says
Quarantine expanded to 34 farms in southern Alberta and 2 in southwest Saskatchewan
The number of cases of bovine tuberculosis has climbed to six, while a quarantine has expanded to 36 farms in Alberta and Saskatchewan, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said Friday.
The disease first surfaced in a single cow flagged by the United States Food Inspection Agency (USDA) in late September.
The cow was from a ranch near Jenner, Alta., about 100 kilometres north of Medicine Hat.
On Friday, the CFIA reported five additional cases from the same herd.
Penny Greenwood, national manager with the agency, says there could be more.
"We are in the process of doing a risk assessment that will determine whether or not there are additional herds that need to be declared infected because the finding of additional positives demonstrates to us that there has been transmission from animal to animal," Greenwood said.
The agency also announced that a quarantine has been expanded to 34 farms in southern Alberta and two in southwest Saskatchewan.
That's an increase from the 30 farms placed under quarantine by late October.
When a ranch is under quarantine, none of the herd can be moved from the ranch, even if some of the animals were previously committed to be sold.
The situation has caught ranchers off guard, considering there has not been a case of bovine TB in Canada since 2011.
The Alberta Beef Producers has called the situation "devastating" to the industry.
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