4 Learning from leopards A leopard can’t change its spots, so the saying goes. Indeed, scientific theory


argues that spotted leopards evolved to suit their environment. The spots will only change when the environment renders the species more vulnerable to risks. Those best adapted to new conditions survive. Humans aren’t that different from leopards. We make resolutions, but 90% of the time we break them. The other 10% of the time, lasting change comes about because there’s no alternative, or because the community as a whole changes direction in the face of some clear and present need. With a new year beginning, farmers in BC face a number of clear and present challenges, from a new trade environment to tighter controls on agricultural land, waste and water use, and the welfare of farm workers and livestock. The tax burden is also increasing, adding to the costs of doing business even if nothing else changed. On the one hand, it seems like government wants farmers to change their spots and some fear the changes herald a kind of extinction event. Moreover, businesses thrive when they know the rules. Yet provincial policies


and programs are changing the operating environment for farmers, creating uncertainties and the need to adapt. This is never easy, not the least after 16 years that saw Victoria downsize government involvement in agriculture. The big question as the current government hits its stride is whether or not the changes will fundamentally alter the farming landscape, or simply restore an environment that existed prior to the 2001 election. With a budget approaching $95 million, the BC Ministry of Agriculture has relaunched Buy BC and is showing every sign of revamping the Agricultural Land Commission along the lines of what existed prior to 2002. However, new waste control, traceability and animal welfare policies will


increase pressure on livestock farmers, many of whom are in supply-managed sectors reeling from federal concessions in recent trade deals. While livestock producers may see announcements regarding greater slaughter capacity in the new year, addressing an outstanding issue following the province’s overhaul of meat regulations in 2004, making it harder to raise livestock will temper the joy. Yet any investment in the sector is good. Should a future change in


government once again cut red tape for farmers, new slaughter capacity and better farm management will have long-term benefits. Competitiveness and


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • JANUARY 2019


wildfire preparedness funding delivered in partnership with the federal government also foster a more positive environment. The best sort of change doesn’t require the leopard to change its spots, but rather optimizes them for the creature’s survival. Government should keep this in mind as it seeks to grow BC agriculture this year.


Livestock protection is a grey matter


Ann and I arrived home last Hallowe’en evening to find all hell breaking loose in the barn. Ann’s two miniature donkeys were being viciously attacked in their box stall by two dogs.


The Back Forty BOB COLLINS


When


we arrived, one of


the dogs was outside the stall panting heavily and the other was still inside in a stand-off with one of the donkeys. There was blood everywhere and both donkeys were bleeding profusely. It appeared to be a prolonged attack. Both dogs were wearing heavy chain collars and


we were able to leash them with halter shanks and remove them from the barn. We called the RCMP. Two officers arrived, took


several pictures and removed the dogs. The donkeys required veterinary attention and


three-time-a-day treatments for ten days. They have since healed though one lost part of an ear and will likely have compromised sight in one eye. At the time, we were informed by the RCMP that


it would have been legal to shoot the dogs, and the dogs would be taken to the SPCA, who would investigate the incident and decide the dog’s fate.


From that point on things got murky. There was no contact from the SPCA. The dogs


were returned to their owner the next day. According to the owner, there was no mention made of the attack, the RCMP apprehension, or an investigation. The owner learned of the attack from a neighbour the next day, made the decision to have the dogs destroyed and offered to pay the veterinary bill. All fine, but I was left wondering how it would


have turned out if the owner didn’t find out about the attack, didn’t destroy the dogs, and didn’t offer to pay the vet bill? Or if the dogs had gone after the calves on the other side of the barn? I set out to find a protocol for dog attacks on farms and ranches. Section 11.2 of The BC Livestock Act reads: (a) A person may kill a dog if the person finds the dog running at large, and (b) attacking or viciously pursuing livestock. The act seems straightforward on this point and


the response will seem a no-brainer in many parts of the province. It will be less so in areas such as Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Okanagan where agriculture happens on smaller acreages in increasingly urbanized surroundings. While the BC Livestock Act doesn’t speak to specific methods, we might fairly assume that it anticipates vicious dogs will be killed with firearms or bows and arrows. Most jurisdictions prohibit or


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restrict the use of both means. Even if you can meet the firearm criteria and legally dispatch a dog killing livestock, there is a good chance it won’t be a secret and there is as much chance of finding fame on the internet as a pet-murdering psychopath as a responsible stock owner. I was informed by the bylaw officer that in our


regional district, the SPCA does not deal with dog complaints, though they do deal with complaints of dog abuse. Our regional district keeps office hours five days a week and has an emergency contact in a community two hours away. Both seem an unlikely source of timely or useful intervention in the event of a dog attack. The bylaw officer suggested I contact the local conservation officer (CO).


The CO had been informed of the attack by the RCMP and went on to explain that COs will respond to dog attacks on wildlife and wildlife attacks on livestock, but not to dog attacks on livestock. The CO reiterated the right to kill dogs attacking or viciously pursuing livestock but warned that only a CO may kill dogs attacking or viciously pursuing wildlife. There is a fine line to be drawn here. In some


circumstances, it will be clearly visible but in others, it is hidden in a wide swath of grey. Bob Collins raises beef cattle and grows produce on his farm in the Alberni Valley.


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