Dealing with Compromised Animals

Cattle

Veterinary Inspection and Audit UnitNovember 2012

Overview/Goals

• Who/What is the VIAU?

• What is the problem?

• What can we offer to veterinarians in food animal practice?

VIAU: Who?

• The Veterinary Inspection and Audit Unit (VIAU) is part of the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ (OMAFRA) Food Inspection Branch

• The unit consists of:– Manager– 2 support staff– 2 Veterinary Scientists– 6 Regional Veterinarians

VIAU: What?

• The role of the VIAU includes:

– providing support to inspectors in Ontario’s licensed abattoirs

– inspector training– administering annual plant audits– RV specific legislative responsibilities under Ontario’s meat

regulation

Compromised Cattle, What is the Problem?

• Ontario’s abattoirs and sales barns continue to see cattle which should not have been transported or that are transported inappropriately

• The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) Animal Welfare Committee feels that there is a growing concern regarding the transportation of cull dairy cattle including the fact that cattle which are unfit for transport are showing up at the United States border for export

Compromised Cattle, What is the Problem?

• The following statistics are from Animal Health and Welfare Branch*

– In 2010 there were almost 1 million animals sold through Ontario’s sales barns (all species)

– 20,493 arrived at the sale barn compromised in some way– 425 animals resulted in an incident report being filed by the

Appointed Veterinarian in the sale barn– 83% of incident reports involve cattle

• 74% represent dairy cattle

*analysis was done by Christie Ryan, Mike Draper and Kristy Symon.

What do we have to offer practitioners?

• VIAU has developed a series of presentations for delivery to veterinary clinics across the province in a lunch and learn format

• Goal of the presentations is to give private practitioners the same information and guidelines that are currently being used by OMAFRA Appointed Veterinarians at the sale barns and abattoirs

• We believe that if food animal veterinarians across the province of Ontario have a more consistent approach in determining the appropriate disposition of cull livestock then that message will in turn be more effectively delivered to livestock producers

Compromised Cattle Presentation

• Approximately 1 ½ hour presentation at your clinic.

• There are also presentations available for pigs and small ruminants.

• Contact Dr. Nicola Jackson (519-826-3659) or Dr. Richard Smith (613-258-8329).