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Province needs to put $200 bounty on coyote carcasses, say municipalities By Liz Dadson |
Kincardine council/Huron-Kinloss council To Comment on this article Click Here |
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Prompted by the increasing problem of coyotes attacking livestock throughout rural Ontario, Kincardine council is calling on the Ontario government to initiate a province-wide coyote control program, including a $200 bounty on each coyote carcass, and allow counties to implement their own proof-of-kill collection system. "Farmers are saying that the bounty on these predators is inadequate and I agree," said Kincardine councillor Randy Roppel who brought a petition on the issue to the council table Wednesday night (Jan. 26). Most counties pay $50 per carcass, while Bruce County pays $100 per carcass. Roppel noted that in 2002-03, wolf and coyote attacks resulted in the loss of 3,666 animals in Ontario. By 2009-10, that number had risen to 6,153 animals. "The cost to compensate farmers has escalated to $1,269,887 so far," he said. "It's a major problem in rural Ontario." He said the goal is not to eradicate the coyote population but Bruce County should step up to see that it's combatted. "It affects the rural areas; it's a major cost to the beef industry." Mayor Larry Kraemer said he supports the intent of the motion. In fact, officials from Bruce, Grey and Huron counties gathered in Owen Sound in early January to discuss the problem with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). "The MNR position is there will not be a cull," said Kraemer. "They claim that bounties don't work which was somewhat contested." Since the coyote bounty was raised in Bruce County three years ago - to $100 from $50 - the cost has risen sharply to $40,000 from $5,000, on a $10,000 budget, said Kraemer. The MNR is opposed to bounties. "The message I got is that if coyotes are hunted aggressively, they have such large litters that they'll be back in no time," said Kraemer. "They want farmers to deal with the problem themselves, within one month of confirming there is a problem. There is considerable distance between the rural counties' ideas and the MNR's beliefs. Most people with a rural background believe a bounty is appropriate, and perhaps a cull is necessary." Council supported Roppel's motion for a province-wide coyote control program, a $200 bounty, and have the counties implement their own proof-of-kill collection system. And that the motion be circulated to Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Murdoch, Bruce County council, Huron-Bruce MPP and agriculture minister Carol Mitchell, and the MNR.
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Meanwhile, Huron-Kinloss council is also concerned about the coyote problem. At the Jan. 17 meeting, staff said that the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario has been working with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and an OMAFRA working group providing input on a discussion paper for proposed changes to the Livestock, Poultry and Honey Bee Act. The proposed changes concern revising the payment schedules to reflect current market values, expanding the list of wildlife listed as predators, expanding the list of livestock eligible for compensation, and reimbursement for the cost of livestock evaluators to the municipalities. Township councillor Don Murray said his concern is the proposed changes for compensating farmers could mean that they get paid the current market value for a newborn calf, and would lose all the input costs that went into producing that calf. Now, farmers are paid the value of the calf. Clerk Sonya Watson said the idea is to update the schedule so the rates reflect today's prices. And to come up with ways to recoup the cost of livestock evaluators who go out every time there is a loss due to a predator attack. Staff will monitor the process and provide updates to council. During the meeting amongst the three counties in early January, one option for preventing coyote attacks was to use donkeys or lamas to protect livestock. Another option was to come up with municipal financial incentives for farmers to hire hunters. Scrolling stops when you move your mouse inside the scroll area. You can click on the ads for more
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