Canada’s ban on Texas livestock has complicated matters for Lone Star State rodeo athletes coming to Alberta.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced Friday that it would temporarily ban livestock that have been in Texas within the past 21 days.
The ban, which includes horses, came into effect after a New World screwworm was found in a Texas calf. Since then, there have been two more cases of the flesh-eating parasite detected in Texas, and a fourth case in a dog in New Mexico.
But American athletes aren’t willing to let screwworms stop them from competing in Canadian rodeos — including the Calgary Stampede, one of the most lucrative rodeos in the world.
“It’s just a tough one,” said Heidi Billmayer, who operates a horse quarantine barn in Montana.
Billmayer said the screwworm situation is so new and evolving so fast that it’s impossible to say what demand will look like, but considering how busy she was quarantining horses with the vesicular stomatitis virus outbreak recently, she has a pretty clear idea of what to expect once that demand arises.
“We had, I would say, probably over 100 horses come in from February through the end of April that were required to quarantine,” she said.
Tanya Turner, who works with Billmayer in Montana and handles transportation of horses up to Canada with Peaks and Prairies Equine, says the tight timeline means rodeo athletes from Texas may not have time to quarantine their animals. The Calgary Stampede kicks off on July 3.
“If it’s just one rodeo in Canada, even though it’s a huge rodeo … they don’t want to miss out on rodeos in the States while their horse sits for 21 days,” she said.
This means they’ll be looking to borrow horses already in Canada, she said.
In a statement sent to CBC News, the CFIA said it was working “to minimize the impact of controls on Canadian business and events“ but that “it is too early to say if exceptions could be considered” for Calgary Stampede or other events
“Importers and participants in events such as the Calgary Stampede are encouraged to remain up to date on current import requirements and restrictions and adjust plans as needed,” the federal agency said.
Denny Phipps, the CEO of the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association, said “we’re not seeing major impacts, but that doesn’t mean we’re not watching it closely and doesn’t mean it’s not a worry. I think everybody’s kind of on bated breath right now.”
He said some athletes plan around quarantine periods, but anytime something has the capability to disrupt athletes crossing the border with animals, it can create “unstable ground.”
“It can be very detrimental if you’re hauling a horse and you can’t take your horse here, there, otherwhere, or if you do you can’t bring them back to Canada for a time,” he said.
“These horses, they’re athletes, friends, partners of the contestants that ride them, and they are considered a member of the family, and people don’t take that lightly.”
He said as of now, it’s only days into the announcement, so being “patient and educated is the best step of action.”
The association is working to keep its membership informed, Phipps said.
And for athletes?
“Keep your fuel receipts, keep your hotel receipts — any of those things,” he said, “in case the border agents ask for that documentation on where you’ve been [and] when you’ve been there.”
The Calgary Stampede said in a statement that it “welcomes competitors from across North America each year, including Texas, and their participation remains an important part of the event.”
Spokesperson Julie Forget said the 21-day timeline “allows any affected Calgary Stampede competitors the time to ensure they can be compliant with health requirements.”
“We do not anticipate any impact to our Western Events programming as a result of the [CFIA’s] temporary restrictions,” she said.
Travel Texas, the state’s tourism and economic development agency, maintains a close relationship with the Calgary Stampede and will be directly involved through sponsorships and special events this year.
Andrew Mahaleris, press secretary to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, said in a statement that “Canada’s broad restriction on Texas livestock is an overreaction that is more political than science-based.”
“The State of Texas and [United States Department of Agriculture] are moving quickly to contain and eradicate New World screwworm in a limited area of Texas,” he said.
About 185 kilometres north, the Ponoka Stampede is set to kick off on June 25. With the CFIA announcement on June 5, it just falls short of the quarantine time for any animals travelling from Texas.
Bruce Harbin, president of the Ponoka Stampede Association, said about one-third of their entries tend to be from U.S. athletes, and this year’s stampede has had its best entry numbers ever.
But he isn’t worried, because the Stampede isn’t reliant on having athletes bring their animals. Many athletes are or could be mounted, which means being giving another person’s horse to compete on, rather than having to forgo their entries.
“There was an old saying … if you need to get a man on a moon, hold a rodeo there. They’ll find a way to get there,” Harbin said.
“I think Texas is a long ways from Ponoka, Alberta, and I hope that they get through that quickly. And we’re all thinking about the people affected by it, and we’re just happy to be as far away from it as we are.”
