In November and December of 2015, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture administered a survey to better understand perceptions of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) testing in Saskatchewan. More than 180 people responded, including producers, veterinarians and consumers.
The results showed that while 95 per cent of respondents were aware of Canada's BSE surveillance program, only 66 per cent have had an animal tested. However, the majority of respondents see meeting Saskatchewan's BSE surveillance targets as being important to the cattle industry.
Top reasons for not having an animal tested included inadequate compensation, concern over the consequences of a positive test and problematic submission logistics. Producers who were unsatisfied with their submission experience quoted compensation, methods of payment and lack of payment as being primary limitations. Building awareness and knowledge among producers, increasing compensation, and changing the submission process were listed as potential ways to increase testing in the province.