- CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters)
- A U.S. ban on Canadian cattle, spurred by a lone case of mad cow disease,
has had an unintended consequence -- bulls bred north of the border to
toss cowboys around for eight seconds at a time have been shut out of rodeo's
biggest event.
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- The 10-day Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas
runs Dec. 5 to 14, with nearly $5 million in prize money up for grabs among
the world's best professional cowboys, and up to 125 bulls are chosen for
the gritty bull-riding event.
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- Canada's rodeo stock growers have traditionally sent
fierce beasts to the event, generating thousands of dollars in fees and
bonus money as well as bolstering their reputation for high-caliber animals.
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- But in May, the United States banned all Canadian cattle
after a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease,
was detected in a cow in Alberta, home to another famous high-stakes rodeo
-- the Calgary Stampede.
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- "Every year we have somewhere around five to 10
bulls down at the National Finals, and this year, unfortunately, because
of the BSE, they can't go across the border," said Canadian rodeo
promoter Cody Snyder, who was world champion bull rider in 1983.
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- Stock growers can take in up to $2,000 per bull, plus
bonuses of as much as $12,500 for a top event like the National Finals,
or the Professional Bull Rider Finals, which took place in Las Vegas earlier
this month, Snyder said.
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- "The toughest thing for these guys is, when their
bulls aren't across the border, they don't get to expose those bulls to
the big-money producers and contractors in the U.S.," he said. A top
Canadian rodeo bull sold in the United States three years ago for $50,000.
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- Canada's beef and cattle industry has been devastated
since the mad cow case was discovered and the United States led several
countries in banning Canadian beef and cattle shipments. Although the U.S.
border has reopened to some meat products, live cattle are still barred.
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- The industry has lost an estimated C$3.3 billion ($2.5
billion), with the effects trickling down from ranchers and feedlot operators
to truckers, small-town retailers and now, those who raise animals for
the rodeo.
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- "I don't know how long it's going to be. It might
be years before they let live bulls down there again," said Bruce
Sunstrom, owner of Cessford, Alberta-based Big Stone Rodeo Co. He has raised
bulls and horses for the rodeo for 30 years.
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- Canada has long been known for its bucking horses, but
was gaining renown for bulls just as the mad cow crisis hit, he said.
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- The animals are raised for their ability to buck and
spin. The spinning creates centrifugal force, challenging the toughest
riders to stay on for the allotted eight seconds.
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- "The United States has had good bulls for years
but Canada's doing quite well in the bull business too, because there's
a lot of guys raising them and there's a pile of good bulls out there,"
Sunstrom said.
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- Those connected with the event have tried to get special
dispensation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, citing the fact there
is no threat to the food supply, but to no avail, he said.
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