Photo by Whitehorse Star
BISON EXPORTED – The Yukon's only bison being raised on a game farm were shipped to Saskatchewan in late December.
Ranchers leave the bison business
The LaPrairie Bison Ranch has shipped all of its bison to Saskatchewan, the Yukon government has confirmed.
The LaPrairie Bison Ranch has shipped all of its bison to Saskatchewan, the Yukon government has confirmed.
Cliff and Virginia LaPrairie could not be reached by phone this week to discuss their decision to get out of bison game farming.
Environment Yukon spokeswoman Nancy Campbell said the government is limited in what it can say because of privacy considerations and an outstanding lawsuit filed in 2010 by the LaPrairies against the Yukon government.
"We can confirm that all of the bison were shipped out to Saskatchewan,” she said.
Campbell said while she can't disclose specifics about the export permits, she did confirm an export permit for game farm animals was issued for the period Dec. 14 to Dec. 31, 2011.
While there are a handful of game farms in the Yukon, the LaPrairie farm was the only one with bison, as most farms handle elk.
In 2009, the Yukon government implemented a moratorium on importing any more game farm animals into the territory.
"The moratorium will remain in place pending a determination by the veterinary officer regarding the risk posed by imports,” Campbell said.
She said there is no deadline for the veterinary officer to report her findings about the risk of importing game farm animals.
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Comments (5)
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north_of_60 on Apr 18, 2012 at 12:39 pm
"The bison at La Prairie were not "free ranging” but instead were kept in large pasture areas."
Yes, I realize that. For most people, when discussing meat animals, the term 'free-range' refers to NOT being kept in a feedlot.
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flyingfur on Apr 17, 2012 at 6:50 am
North of 60 > The bison at La Prairie were not "free ranging" but instead were kept in large pasture areas. Also, game animals brought in as farm animals has it's downside, particularly when an over-abundance of bison exist wildly in the Yukon. You are correct though; nice honest farmers who had a good product.
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north_of_60 on Apr 16, 2012 at 4:51 pm
Good, healthy, free-range, grass-fed meat from honest ranchers. This local source of nutritious food will be sadly missed.
Another example of counterproductive government meddling.
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Billy Polson on Apr 14, 2012 at 12:53 pm
Oh, don't worry about them, they have lots of land to sell now...after living off the gov supplements for being 'farmers'.
It must seem insulting to new arrivals that land used to be given away.
All the best to the retirees...it is an honest life to be a farmer.
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bobby bitman on Apr 13, 2012 at 9:32 am
Too bad. They sold excellent meat and it was a local non-factory farm alternative to the corporate meat offerings at the big box food stores. All the best to Cliff and Virginia in the future.