Quarantine of southeast Alberta ranches could last months, say CFIA officials

The quarantine of some 30 southeast Alberta ranches after a cow tested positive for bovine tuberculosis in the United States could last for several months, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) officials said this week. The disease was detected in a cow after it was processed at a plant in the U.S. and traced back to Alberta. The quarantined ranches are located in the Buffalo Atlee and Suffield Block community pastures. CFIA officials are working with provincial agriculture and health authorities to determine where the animal originated. Affected ranchers could be compensated, said Dr. Harpreet Kochhar, Canada's chief veterinary officer. "The CFIA will pay compensation to producers as quickly as possible for any animals ordered destroyed," he said in a video statement...more