The new not-for-profit agency running Saskatchewan’s brand inspection, registry and livestock dealer licensing services is set to boost its fees in the new year.
Livestock Services Corp. of Saskatchewan (LSS) will raise its brand inspection fee by 75 cents per animal effective Jan. 2, to $2.75.
LSS’ fee for registering or renewing a brand will double to $50 for a four-year registration and triple to $600 for a lifetime brand registration, the province said in a release Monday.
The corporation’s fee for a livestock dealer license will also double to $200.
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Noting the corporation operates on a cost-recovery basis, LSS president Harold Martens said the increases are “reflective of the cost of providing these services and will ensure LSS continues to offer services that are important to cattle producers.”
LSS said it consulted with the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association (SCA), the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA), the Saskatchewan Cattle Feeders Association and Livestock Marketers of Saskatchewan — all of which are part-owner/operators of LSS — on the fee hikes.
“Today’s prices make identification of ownership more important than ever, but today’s prices also make this increase an acceptable cost of doing business,” SCA chair Paula Larson said in the province’s release.
“Some might think that cattle theft is a thing of the wild west,” SSGA president Doug Gillespie said in the same release. “But just recently the LSS has proven how important it is to have these services offered in Saskatchewan. Cattle are a rancher’s biggest asset and it is important that there is the ability to prove ownership to prevent theft.”
LSS was set up late last year to take over livestock brand inspection services — which ensure animals offered for sale are rightfully owned and verified through a brand registry — from livestock inspectors employed by the provincial ag ministry. — AGCanada.com Network
