June 6, 2007

US dairy farmers to help salvage Canada's dairy cows from floods

American dairy farmers are lending its hand to help Canada's cattle sector as a cross-border goodwill gesture during this week's expected floods.

Robin Smith, the executive director of the B.C. Dairy Foundation, said the agreement was reached last week after he travelled to Ottawa for a face-to-face appeal with federal bureaucrats.

About 10,000 dairy cattle in British Columbia are currently on flood plains as water levels rise rapidly across the province. Dairy cows need to be near the barn for milking unlike beef cattle that can simply be moved further away from the river.

Smith said as many 2,000 Canadian cows could be shipped to farms in Washington State.

After alerting federal officials of the looming crisis during his trip three weeks ago, Smith said Ottawa rushed into action, reaching a cross-border deal in two weeks that would normally take years to negotiate.

Under the deal, the Canadian milk is quarantined for Canadian use only.

Smith said the deal was done quietly to avoid any disputes by Canadian and US beef ranchers, who have been battling each other for years due to mad cow disease.

For farmers who don't want to ship their cows across the border, the B.C. Dairy Foundation has set up a room at its Abbotsford headquarters. A giant map of the province covers one wall, with every farm marked as to whether it can take in more cows.