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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 2017


Protection program has helped ranchers


by TOM WALKER KAMLOOPS – The


provincial Livestock Protection Program (LPP) was initiated two years ago to help mitigate losses to cattle, sheep and dairy owners from wolves and coyotes.


But it doesn’t support southern Vancouver Island sheep producers with the recent spike in bear kills. That’s the responsibility of the BC Conservation Officer Service and the Ministry of Agriculture. “We don’t come under


the LPP,” says Metchosin sheep rancher John Buchanan. “We are


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discussing a compensation package with the provincial government and it looks promising, but there is nothing in place yet.” That creates an


interesting chicken and egg situation. Because there is no compensation program in place, the need to verify kills is not as important. However, verifying the predator that has been responsible for the attack is an important step in the mitigation process. “We don’t have any trained wildlife specialists on the island to do verification,” explains LPP program head Mark Grafton. There are no coyotes on Vancouver Island and the wolves that inhabit the northern regions do not often come in contact with livestock. “I am looking into holding a verification course on the island, as there is clearly a need,” Grafton says.


The LPP has hired and trained 46 wildlife specialists – all licensed trappers – who work across the province to provide both verification and mitigation. Ranchers may also take the course themselves in order to do


their own verification and initiate the compensation process. Buchanan says he will sign up for the course when it is offered. BC Cattlemens’


Association general manager Kevin Boon explains that the LPP is doing such a good job supporting cattle ranchers, it will likely run out of money. The original agreement was for three years, he says. The provincial government put in $750,000 while BCCA contributed another $100,000. BCCA waived the normal administrative fee for the program, making total funds available close to $900,000. But Boon expects that will only last through March 2018. “We based the budget


on previous programs and we weren’t anticipating the success and the uptake on it,” he told members of the Kamloops Stockmen’s Association at their meeting in early November. He says there are a couple of reason the program is doing well. “We renegotiated the compensation they were paying on verified losses,” says Boon. “We went from where they were paying 70% of a value of $400 a calf to using estimates from Western Livestock Price Insurance (WLPI) program.” WLPI sets a value of $1,200- to $1,300 per calf. “So, at 70%, ranchers were finding it worthwhile to do a verification and put the claim in,” he says. The trappers are paid on


a performance basis. “If they don’t get a wolf, they don’t get paid, so they are motivated,” says Boon. “We went to whole pack removal as well,” Boon points out. “That means that we are paying for more wolves to be taken out, but it’s a key to the success of the program.”


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