2017 ON THE FARM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2017

ON THE FARM - PAGE 5

Premises ID is important to protect livestock The government of Saskatchewan announced changes to Saskatchewan’s Premises Identification (PID) program, a key traceability tool to plan for, control and prevent the spread of animal diseases and to respond to other emergencies.

Participation in the PID program will now be a requirement for Saskatchewan producers.

Over the coming months, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture livestock programs will begin requiring applicants have a PID number to participate.

“The federal government proudly supports a healthy, sustainable and robust agriculture industry,” Federal Minister of Agriculture and AgriFood Lawrence MacAulay said. “These new requirements will help Saskatchewan producers protect the health of their livestock, as well as their farm businesses.”

“As one of the three pillars of traceability, Premises Identification is an important part of ensuring the health and safety of our province’s livestock,” Saskatchewan Minister of Agriculture Lyle Stewart said. “With a full PID database, we’ll be in a better position to prevent or respond to an animal disease outbreak or natural disaster.”

Saskatchewan’s voluntary PID program was launched in June 2014.

Currently, less than 3,000 of the province’s livestock and poultry producers, veterinarians, feedlots, and other livestock commingling sites are enrolled.

Requiring a PID number for program eligibility will help the province reach full PID participation, which is necessary to make the system effective. Manitoba and Alberta have similar regulations that mandate enrollment in their PID programs.

“I want to make sure I’m in the best position possible to protect my cattle if a disease outbreak happens,” Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association Vice-Chair Rick Toney said.

“That’s why registering for a PID number just made sense; it was an easy way to make sure my cattle would be safe in an emergency.”

An effective PID database is used to plan and implement emergency responses in the case of an animal health concern, a public health emergency, or an emergency such as a natural disaster that affects animals and people.

Registrants’ informa-

tion will be kept private and only used in such emergencies.

The Saskatchewan PID database is funded through Growing Forward 2, a cost-shared partnership between federal, provincial and territorial governments designed to support an innovative, competitive and profitable Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector.

For more information on PID, visit www.saskatchewan.ca and search “Premises Identification.”

Registration can be completed online at http:// premisesid.saskatchewan. ca.

Checking over a newborn calf

Review Photo 8452 — Greg Nikkel

Katelyn Thackeray has a look at a newborn calf, born just that morning, in the maternity barn at the Ian Thackeray family farm located near Goodwater. She and her three brothers, along with their parents, operate a busy cattle farm and the four children are all 4-H members, keeping them all quite busy every day. Some of their Gelbvieh cattle began calving in January, with several head still to calve out in the coming weeks.