Establishing a Long Term Surveillance Network to Support Canadian Beef Cattle Research
Currently there is no structured surveillance program to collect animal health, management, or disease incidence information in the Canadian beef industry. When surveillance and research information for the cow-calf industry is required, significant time, effort, and resources are needed to recruit herds for relatively short-term projects. In the USA, the National Animal Health Monitoring Service (NAHMS) has a long term surveillance network that supports a variety of animal industries and is a critical resource for specific research initiatives. A similar strategy would be beneficial in Canada.
Funded by the National Check-off and Canada’s Beef Science Cluster, researchers are currently working to establish the foundation for a surveillance network for the Canadian cow-calf industry. This surveillance network will help to provide timely and efficient answers to questions regarding animal health, welfare, biosecurity, economics, animal nutrition and other production practices.
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