The federal government is working with industry to identify a new diagnostic test for bovine tuberculosis (TB) in cattle that will be simpler and more cost-effective for regulatory agencies to administer.
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced Sept. 27 that about $320,000 would be presented to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association at its annual fall picnic on Parliament Hill that day.
“We continue to invest in finding new and cost-effective screening tests to detect animal diseases,” Ritz told the annual gathering of beef producers from across the country.
“The faster we can pinpoint disease, the shorter the down time for our hardworking cattle producers and the sooner they can get their businesses back up and running.”
The money is provided through the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program is designed to help the cattlemen’s group evaluate alternative bovine TB tests that is better than the current tuberculin skin test.
The association will work with regulatory agencies such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to design and provide details for the evaluation study.
If successful, it will identify one or a combination of tests that will be less cumbersome and less expensive for regulatory agencies to administer.
“Having a rapid, simple and inexpensive blood test that can detect bovine TB in cattle will help to achieve the final eradication of this insidious disease sooner than is possible with existing tools,” said CCA president Travis Toews.
“We thank the government of Canada for investing in research that will assist industry efforts to create an effective disease eradication program.”
