Moe signals possible pause to Saskatchewan CWD testing cut

The Saskatchewan government’s decision to end the chronic wasting disease (CWD) testing program could be put on pause

Premier Scott Moe said the government will reconsider the decision in meetings later this week.

An advisory on the province’s website said the testing service is to be eliminated at the end of this month.

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Moe made the announcement while speaking at a health care news conference in Saskatoon on Tuesday.

He said the program was cut for budgetary considerations but wants to hear the concerns of hunters.

Saskatoon hunter unhappy with elimination of CWD testing

The end of the CWD testing program could limit John Perret’s time hunting.

“I don’t like to say this but I don’t want my children and my grandchildren and my great-grandchildren now to be guinea pigs for this problem,” he said.

Perret said he has used the program for 30 years while hunting deer and elk, while speaking at a Saskatchewan NDP news conference.

Saskatoon hunter John Perret joined an NDP news conference virtually on Tuesday morning. (Gillian Massie/ 980 CJME)

The testing service alerted him that he had three hits of CWD in animals he harvested in the past five years.

“I’m a little bit miffed,” said the Saskatoon hunter. “It’s possible that if I had known about the program being dropped. I may not have applied for the draw.”

Chronic wasting disease affects the brains and nervous systems of deer, elk and moose.

Health Canada recommends people don’t eat meat from animals known to be infected, despite there being no recorded cases of the disease in humans.

Perret processes his own meat, but said butchers require the animals to be tested for CWD.

“I would think those butchers now are not even going to touch it if they don’t have any proof that it’s not CWD contaminated,” he said.

Perret said there are no private options to get CWD tested right now.

Plus, he was unsure of how much a private test would cost.

“It’s a real concern that it may not be worthwhile hunting anymore,” Perret said.

He said he doesn’t want to risk feeding diseased meat to his family.

NDP agriculture critic Trent Wotherspoon speaks to reporters at the Legislative Building on Tuesday. (Gillian Massie/ 980 CJME)

The NDP want the provincial government to keep the program.

Trent Wotherspoon, the party’s agriculture critic, said the NDP’s offices have been inundated with calls about the program’s end.

“I know that this is a bad move,” he said. “Hunters put a tremendous amount of time, effort, and money into harvesting an animal, and they deserve the peace of mind they get through the voluntary testing program when they plan to consume it.”

980 CJME has reached out to the provincial government for a response.