A Nova Scotia MP and provincial MLA are at odds over the future of the Nappan Research Farm’s cattle herd.
The Nappan experimental farm just south of Amherst, N.S., has been Eastern Canada’s leading federal facility in agriculture research for nearly 140 years.
Founded in 1887, it has historically served the Maritimes by improving livestock management and forage production.
Earlier this year, the federal government announced it would be closing the facility, alongside four others nationwide, to cut down on public service spending.
“I was gutted when I found out in January that the farm was going to be closed,” said Cumberland-Colchester Liberal MP, Alana Hirtle.
“I have been having ongoing meetings with the Minister of Agriculture and the ministry, the team there in Ottawa, to try to do something.”
It’s a feeling shared by Independent MLA for Cumberland North, Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, who has been outspoken about the facility’s value and how closing the farm will impact her constituents and the roughly 90 head of cattle at the site.
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“The people that work at the farm were very upset that the cattle there were not allowed to be bred this spring,” she said.
“And when the cows are sold, they’re called a cull cow or an open cow, meaning they’re not bred. And if you’re a farmer and in the farming industry, you know that that’s not a good thing.”
Smith-McCrossin says the designation would reduce the cows’ worth at auction, leaving approximately $250,000 on the table. She adds this will likely lead to many of them being slaughtered after being sold this fall.
But Hirtle disputes this.
In a letter posted to Facebook, Hirtle writes “there is no cull in the works for the cattle at Nappan Research Farm. There never was. The concept is complete fiction. 100 per cent false.”
She goes on to write, “Someone just … made it up. They told a lie on purpose. They wanted to use your emotions for their own purposes.”
“The position that Miss Smith-McCrossin has been taking is that the government wants to slaughter these animals at the end of the season, and that is the farthest thing from the truth,” Hirtle told Global News.
“This is not a personal attack. This is not directed against any one individual. It’s simply, I felt I had to, on behalf of my constituents, speak out with the truth.”
Smith-McCrossin says she doesn’t want to engage either, and only wants what’s best for the farm.
“This isn’t personal. This is about the Nappan Research Farm, which has done important agricultural research for 137 years. We are threatened to lose this, and people are losing their jobs. They’re losing their livelihood. And this herd of cattle are going to be lost,” she said.
“That is what I want to see reversed and change. And that’s what we should be focused on. Doesn’t need to be personal.”
Smith-McCrossin says she invites Hirtle to speak to the people who work at the farm because “by not breeding these animals, they are more than likely going to go for slaughter. And that will end this line of cattle, which is really sad.”
Despite being at odds over the cattle’s future, both politicians say they want the same thing; for the cattle and herd bloodline protected.
In a statement, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, which operates the site, says, “it’s never been the intention to cull the herd in Nappan.”
The department confirms a portion of the herd — 130 animals — was sold at auction in April and May.
“Once research activities are concluded at the Nappan Research Farm, the remainder of the herd will similarly be sold at auction. This dispersal plan was specifically designed to provide opportunities for Maritime beef producers to have access to these animals,” their statement concludes.
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