Zones agreement 'protects Ontario producers' says province's chief vet

Thursday, January 17, 2013

by SUSAN MANN

Ontario has an opportunity to ensure its interests are served when details are finalized on a Canada-United States agreement to recognize each other’s foreign animal disease control zones.

Ontario chief veterinarian Greg Douglas says the province has that opportunity because he is chair of the Canadian Council of Chief Veterinary Officers. “My role will be to engage and make sure that we are part of the consultation as it relates to what the agreement looks like” after the details are finalized.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency spokesperson Lisa Murphy says by email details outlining exactly how the arrangement would work are still being developed. A framework document will spell out agreed-upon processes as well as conditions for disease control and eradication zoning recognition for foreign animal diseases such as foot and mouth disease, classical swine fever and avian influenza. It will involve extensive consultations with industry groups, states and provinces.

In announcing the arrangement Wednesday in Winnipeg, federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says cross-border trade in live animals, meat and animal products contributes billions of dollars each year to Canada’s economy. “This arrangement will keep the U.S. market open for Canadian producers should a foreign animal disease outbreak occur, all the while protecting human and animal health.”

In the government’s press release it says in practice the arrangement will mean that if Canada were to establish a disease control and eradication zone anywhere in the country, the United States Department of Agriculture would continue allowing imports of animals and related products from disease free areas of Canada. When Canada ends the zone, the United States would allow trade to resume from that area. Canada would have a reciprocal arrangement in cases where zones are established anywhere in the United States.

Douglas says this is positive development. It provides “our producers an opportunity to continue to trade and market product with our American neighbours” while still enabling federal government officials to deal with animal disease situations that are occurring in other parts of Canada.

Previously, if, for example, foot and mouth disease were detected in one part of Canada “it could very much affect the producers in Ontario if the U.S. border was (closed) to us,” he says, noting the American position has currently been to shut down access to its market if a disease is detected anywhere in another country.

The new agreement “actually protects Ontario producers,” Douglas notes. “Ontario producers already have a high level of biosecurity. They have industries that are engaged.”

Ontario farmers had first-hand experience with a closed American border when the United States and many other countries banned Canadian beef imports after an Alberta cow tested positive for BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in 2003. That import ban had “all kinds of deleterious effects on the industry here in Ontario,” he says, adding if this zoning agreement was in place back then it might have allowed Ontario farmers to still have modified or complete access to the U.S. market.

The animal disease zoning agreement is part of a commitment by both governments made in December 2011 to better align their countries’ regulations and is included in the joint Action Plan of the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council.

Ontario Federation of Agriculture president Mark Wales says the livestock industry was seeking this. Canada is so large that it’s inappropriate to “totally shut the border down when (a disease outbreak) is regional,” he explains. “A lot of animal disease outbreaks tend to be either in one province or two.”

Ontario Cattlemen’s Association communications manager LeaAnne Wuermli says by email “any agreement that would help to minimize trade disruptions is of benefit to the livestock industry.” She adds that the association looks forward to hearing more details as they become available.

Murphy says the zoning arrangement with the United States applies to outbreaks of highly contagious foreign animal diseases. Since there are currently no outbreaks in Canada, “no zones exist” now.

But the idea of establishing zones to control the spread of diseases is not new, she explains. Canada currently zones for endemic diseases, such as bovine tuberculosis (TB) in the Riding Mountain TB Eradication Area surrounding Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba. The area is considered to be at a higher risk for TB because the disease is present in wild elk and deer.

“An ongoing industry-government initiative has provided Canada with the capacity to rapidly zone Eastern and Western Canada at the Manitoba/Ontario border at West Hawk Lake in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak,” she says. BF