The Manitoba and federal governments will cover veterinarians’ visits to assess biosecurity and risk for Johne’s disease on beef and dairy farms, respectively.
The two governments on Monday announced the beef herd biosecurity assessment and dairy herd Johne’s risk assessment programs, funded through the food safety component of the Growing Forward farm policy funding framework.
These programs, developed in conjunction with livestock producer groups and the provincial ag department, are meant to help producers evaluate and improve on-farm food safety and biosecurity in a confidential manner.
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“We know there are situations where producers may want to contact veterinarians for advice, but due to financial concerns, they haven’t called,” Dr. Marc Philippot, a veterinarian at St. Claude, about 40 km south of Portage la Prairie, said in a release Monday from the Manitoba Veterinary Medical Association.
“In this way, we can see (producers’) concerns firsthand and quickly address them,” said Philippot, who’s also an MVMA councillor. “We can also provide guidance on animal health and on farm food safety issues that might not be obvious.”
Any “farm-specific” information gathered in the assessment remains with each producer for “their own consideration” and is not shared, he emphasized. Farms are “unidentifiable” by way of an assigned herd number veterinarians will use when reporting back to government.
Producers wanting to take part in either of the herd assessment programs can contact their local veterinarians to make appointments for the on-farm visit.
Veterinarians will be paid directly through Growing Forward for their visits, the MVMA said, noting that Growing Forward will also directly fund producers to put national on-farm food safety programs, such as Verified Beef Production or Certified Quality Milk, in place on their farms.
The veterinary visits are “an excellent opportunity to tap into veterinarians’ expertise to help improve overall herd health that can lead to improved profitability,” said Ian Wishart, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, the province’s general farm group, in the release.
“We feel this program will continue to strengthen the producers’ relationships with local veterinarians,” said Trevor Atchison, a Pipestone, Man. producer and chair of the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association’s production management committee, in the same release.
“We helped create a program that gives producers access to experts who can answer questions and identify opportunities for advancement.”
