Evidence of meeting #122 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 42nd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was animals.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, CPC
So that's after the animal has had it for a while. That's why you were talking about the complications of it.
I'm interested, though, in the unpasteurized milk that comes from the animal. It's a product, but it's a by-product of the animal. Can it be determined through the testing of milk?
Vice-President, Science Branch, Chief Veterinary Officer and World Organisation for Animal Health Delegate for Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Depending on the concentration of the micro-organism in the milk, we can detect it. We have tests now, besides culture, such as ELISA and PCR, but none of these tests are 100%. That's why we have to do a combination of tests.
Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, CPC
Okay. I've just always been interested in that. We're always so concerned about this wholesome product. I grew up, and my whole family grew up, drinking unpasteurized milk. Apparently we did not too bad.
Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, CPC
Quite honestly, my daughter went on a mission trip to a third world country, and she had a conversation with the doctor. They always ask what your father does. When she said her father was a dairy farmer, the doctor asked if she drank unpasteurized milk. I though this might not end up just the way I wanted it to, but anyway, she truthfully said, “Absolutely we do.” The doctor then told her she would have more antibodies in her body and more protection on the mission trip than any of the other children would. I got thinking; I'm always concerned about how we cannot drink it now, because there may be this chance, and yet....
I know what you're saying, but we just legalized a drug when we know there are addictions. People will end up in the health care system and all that. I'm still a big believer in unpasteurized milk, even though I guess there is a small chance of something happening.
Tell me about the tags and the traceability. You said there's still work to do, and I guess there will be. I think in the beef industry there's pretty good traceability. I believe in the dairy industry there is a traceability program. Can you expand on where the lack is in terms of traceability, or where we need to improve on it?
Vice-President, Science Branch, Chief Veterinary Officer and World Organisation for Animal Health Delegate for Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
I think I will have to get back to you on this question.
Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, CPC
That's fine. If it's going to take too long, that's fine.
Vice-President, Science Branch, Chief Veterinary Officer and World Organisation for Animal Health Delegate for Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Yes. We still have a little bit of work to do in terms of tracing all the animals in time, because we don't have a very effective traceability program for investigations.
Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, CPC
One of the concerns last year that my colleague Mr. Longfield brought up was in terms of the detection and compensation. There was this huge issue where farmers were concerned about actually being able to stay in business because of the timeline and the huge cost of having to feed these animals that should have been going to market.
What is the timeline? You said it's improved. In agriculture, though, it's about cash flow. It's about when you have to market your animals and the cash flow coming in. Has that timeline been improved a lot? I mean, this is not something that's caused by the farmer. This is something that happens to the farmer. In terms of compensation, I'm always concerned that they get treated fairly in terms of being able to stay in business even though they have this major disease on their hands.
Vice-President, Science Branch, Chief Veterinary Officer and World Organisation for Animal Health Delegate for Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
I think the timeline has improved from the last time, because we found out after the fact that we had all these animals under quarantine. We were getting into the fall and animals were not going to market. Then we were looking at how to actually do the program.
This time we have the program our department did between Alberta, AAFC and Saskatchewan. Based on that, we are already talking about how we can, if there are animals that are there...that producers will know that they will be compensated for the time they will be on—
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan
Thank you, Dr. Komal.
Thank you, Mr. Shipley.
Mr. MacGregor, you have three minutes.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Thank you very much, Mr. MacGregor.
I owe you this one.
I only have one question.
We know that this herd will be destroyed. In Alberta, it took a long time before the decision was made, and finally 11,500 animals were killed. To avoid a recurrence of that situation, why not act right away and make the decision without delay? You know that at the end of the process that is what will happen anyway.
If you act now, this would allow these people to start over as quickly as possible and produce healthy animals that will not cause problems.
That is why I asked you that question earlier. What are you waiting for? Why do we have to wait so long?
Vice-President, Science Branch, Chief Veterinary Officer and World Organisation for Animal Health Delegate for Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
It's because we don't know the scope of the infection. If we begin to quarantine all the animals and destroy them right away, that would be useless.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
But you did say earlier that that is what will happen on the farm involved.
Why not do it right away?
Vice-President, Science Branch, Chief Veterinary Officer and World Organisation for Animal Health Delegate for Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Yes, we are going to do it right away. But first we have to talk to the producer and make sure that he is comfortable with the idea. We have to tell him how it will be done.
We already began the tests this week and we will finish them before Christmas. If we don't find any other infected animal, the sick animals will be destroyed. There will then be a period of disinfection, and then repopulation. Afterwards, we will continue with the other animals that were in contact with the sick cattle.
This herd will be euthanized quickly.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
We know that the disinfection period is quite long. It's that period that is difficult for the producer.
I wonder why, when you already know that the final decision will be to destroy the herd, you have to do other tests?
Vice-President, Science Branch, Chief Veterinary Officer and World Organisation for Animal Health Delegate for Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
That will be done quickly on that farm. We don't want to go and kill the animals before the producer has had a chance to get used to the idea.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan
If the committee agrees, I'd like to ask a brief question.
After you have eradicated the herd, can the disease stay in that location? Is it easy to clean the environment afterwards to prevent propagation?
Vice-President, Science Branch, Chief Veterinary Officer and World Organisation for Animal Health Delegate for Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Thank you for the question, Mr. Finnigan.
That is what we do. After the animals are gone, we follow the disinfection protocol established by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Once that step is over, the farm will be empty for a certain period of time. After that period, the environment has to be subject to a certain temperature to guarantee that the bacteria has been destroyed. In fact, that bacteria does not live very long.
Vice-President, Science Branch, Chief Veterinary Officer and World Organisation for Animal Health Delegate for Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Then we can begin the repopulation.
