Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) held its semi-annual meeting January 24 during the Saskatchewan Beef Industry Conference in Regina with opening remarks from Deputy Minister Rick Burton, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture and SSGA President Garner Deobald to SSGA’s board of directors, members and other key industry stakeholders from across the province and beyond its borders.
Inside of four hours, in addition to conducting the required semi-annual general meeting business agenda items, SSGA also hosted two highly-informative presentations and passed seven resolutions.
The first presentation was by Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) Regional Veterinary Officer Dr. Allison Danyluk-Ross who provided a situational update on the ongoing bovine tuberculosis (TB) investigation in Saskatchewan, highlighting critical information related to testing and compensation.
The second presentation was given by Livestock Services of Saskatchewan Chief Executive Officer Jason Pollock, who provided an update on the Livestock Portal Application―MyLivestock―which is an easy-to-use mobile app, designed by SaasyCloud.com Inc., that enables producers, transporters and other parties involved in the movement of livestock to comply with Part XII of the Health of Animals Regulations by utilizing one unified platform.
Pollock confirmed, once all the participants in the movement event have entered the regulated data elements into MyLivestock, the app can submit that data on behalf of the reporting parties to LSS and Canadian Cattle Identification Agency’s Canadian Livestock Tracking System database. To ensure the app meets industry’s needs, SaasyCloud.com Inc. is inviting producers to pre-register and complete a quick survey. This project to transition away from paper manifests will be implemented over time, in phases, with the first phase of release covering federal requirements and provincial requirements for non-inspected movement.
“We made full use of our time together by carrying seven resolutions, yesterday,” said SSGA President Garner Deobald.
To address the growing problem of wildlife damage, Deobald said SSGA resolved to lobby Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation to put a monetary value on stockpiled forages―similar to the compensation that is currently available for damaged crops and stack damage.
“We also resolved to lobby the federal government to review the Health of Animals Regulations to manage the increasing transportation costs and time in transit to comply with e-log regulations,” Deobald affirmed. “We need to prioritize animal health and welfare in addition to providing flexibility to drivers.”
He also said, “As confirmed by Dr. Danyluk-Ross in her bovine TB update, considering the tremendous hardship producers experience when their herd is impacted by any reportable disease investigation, we resolved to lobby the federal government to compensate producers for cleaning and disinfecting of the infected premises,” in addition to feed costs and any other expenses incurred as a result of CFIA-ordered quarantine.
In closing, on behalf SSGA’s board, members and staff, Deobald shared the following: “We established this organization 111 years ago to safeguard the interests of Saskatchewan livestock producers. Our members set policy and direct SSGA’s advocacy efforts. We achieve more by working together. If you are ready to defend and protect our industry by contributing your unique perspective and voice, and you aren’t already a member, contact our office and join SSGA today.”
