Thirteen heads of cattle are dead in the backcountry near Quesnel after they allegedly ingested a nitrogen based fertilizer sprayed over the local forest by the Province’s Forest Investment Program.
In a statement, the Ministry of Forests says it’s aware of the situation and is currently investigating alongside affected parties to understand what happened and prevent any further issues.
Kevin Boon, the General Manager of the BC Cattlemen’s Association, says what took place is likely a case of operator error.
‘What essentially happened is they’re spreading fertilizer by helicopter, a nitrogen based fertilizer, on some cut-blocks to fertilize the young trees, and where they’ve been loading the fertilizer onto the helicopters to do it there’s been some spillage on the landing sites… and that spillage the cattle got into it.’ – Kevin Boon, General Manager of the BC Cattlemen’s Association
Boon says he’d like to see more communication with local ranchers from the Ministry of Forests about this type of work taking place near grazing ranges, noting the close relationship between ranchers and the forestry industry.
‘Where was the communication on this? If we have a tenure on renting that land, producers and ranchers should be made aware when anything is happening on that land base, so that they can be there to either monitor, or to be assured that their cattle are safe in the process… That didn’t happen.’ – Kevin Boon, General Manager of the BC Cattlemen’s Association
Boon estimates about $100,000 worth of cattle have died so far, and notes that there may be further repercussions for the herd come calving season. It’s his hopes the cattle’s owner be compensated for the loss eventually.
Meanwhile, Stop the Spray BC has amplified the incident on social media, calling attention to the brutal death the animals suffered due to suspected nitrate poisonings, and the possibility of further impacts on the local wildlife in the area in addition to cattle.
In their statement, the Ministry of Forests said it may take a number of weeks before more information is available, pending the outcome of their investigation.
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