File photo of moose in a Saskatchewan field. (BobLoblaw/iStock/Getty Images)

Saskatchewan expands wildlife testing to include bovine TB

CFIA probe of cattle herd finds 10 infected so far

Recent confirmed cases of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in a Saskatchewan cattle herd have led the province to expand its annual wildlife monitoring program for chronic wasting disease (CWD) to also include TB. The province each year since 1997 has asked hunters to submit heads from harvested deer, moose and elk to test for CWD. It […] Read more

This file photo shows a rack of blood samples being tested for bovine tuberculosis in New Zealand dairy cattle. (Lakeview_Images/iStock/Getty Images)

More bovine TB cases found in Saskatchewan herd

Herd now depopulated, one separate contact herd identified

Corrected, July 14 — Postmortem testing of a Saskatchewan cattle herd culled after turning up three confirmed cases of bovine tuberculosis (TB) has yielded six more cases. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), which is tasked with testing the infected herd, said Thursday that as of July 12, a total of eight cases of bovine […] Read more


Tuberculosis bacteria under an electron microscope. (Janice Haney Carr photo courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.))

Last of trace-out quarantines lifted in bovine TB probe

The last of 38 cattle herds to be checked for bovine tuberculosis in a federal trace-out investigation across three provinces has been released from movement controls. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Monday reported that a central Saskatchewan herd has now been released from controls which were imposed in December last year. CFIA said in […] Read more

Tuberculosis bacteria under an electron microscope. (Janice Haney Carr photo courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.))

Bovine TB case turns up in southern B.C.

Federal food safety officials are now looking into the life story of a slaughtered British Columbia beef cow confirmed with bovine tuberculosis. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency on Monday announced it has launched an investigation after a mature beef cow was confirmed Nov. 9 with bovine TB. The case comes a few months after the […] Read more


Elk farming provides a source of lean read meat and parts of the elk such as velvet from the horns are though by some cultures to have medicinal value.

Elk testing at Suffield finds no bovine tuberculosis

Reading Time: < 1 minute Testing of elk at CFB Suffield during the 2017-18 hunting season is complete and all results were negative. After bovine tuberculosis (bTB) was found in one beef cow in southeastern Alberta in 2016, officials with the wildlife branch of Alberta Environment and Parks worked with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to develop a three-year testing […] Read more

Bovine tuberculosis investigation nearly complete

Reading Time: < 1 minute The bovine tuberculosis investigation in southeastern Alberta is wrapping up. Six positive cases were found in one herd after TB was detected in September 2016. Since then about 800 culture results have all come back negative, Dr. Rick James-Davies (the CFIA official in charge of the investigation) said at Alberta Beef Producers’ recent AGM. Approximately […] Read more


cattle with mountain background

Feds announce tax support for cattle producers

Measures will assist those hit by bovine TB outbreak and in areas affected by drought

Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta and Saskatchewan cattle producers affected by bovine TB outbreak in 2016 and this year will receive additional tax relief. Farmers who received compensation under the Health of Animals Act from livestock destroyed due to the bovine tuberculosis outbreak in 2016 and 2017 in Alberta and Saskatchewan are eligible for livestock tax deferral provisions. These allow them to defer a […] Read more

Update on the bovine tuberculosis situation

Reading Time: < 1 minute The number of bovine tuberculosis cases remains at six, but 44 premises and about 8,500 animals are still under quarantine. Thirty sites have been released from quarantine including low-risk trace-out feedlot cattle, fenceline contact herds, and some trace-out herds (the bulk of trace-out herds have been identified and tested). Preliminary laboratory testing of all current […] Read more


Rigorous testing protocols ensure cattle released from quarantine are safe to buy and be placed in other herds.

Cattle released from quarantine have a clean bill of health

‘Early’ release animals may be sold, commingled, and moved — and carry no higher risk than any other cattle

Reading Time: 2 minutes As the Canadian Food inspection Agency (CFIA) investigation into bovine tuberculosis progresses, so too does the status of the cattle involved. The majority of cattle operations identified as contact herds have completed the required testing and been released from quarantine without any restrictions. CFIA grants a full release from quarantine once the cattle have been […] Read more

The battle against TB is a ‘painful journey’ but worth the effort

The battle against TB is a ‘painful journey’ but worth the effort

There are several ways to improve bovine security, even in areas where wildlife may harbour the disease

Reading Time: 4 minutes The measures used to battle bovine tuberculosis are tough, but well worth it, says one of the vets in the line of defence. “Most of our focus is that it is a reportable disease and TB-free status is jealously guarded as a trade advantage to Canada,” Allan Preston, Manitoba’s bovine TB co-ordinator, said during a […] Read more