Nova Scotia MP, MLA at odds over future of cattle at Nappan experimental farm

A disagreement has surfaced between Cumberland-Colchester Liberal MP Alana Hirtle and Independent MLA for Cumberland North Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin regarding the fate of the cattle at the Nappan Research Farm. The farm, a federal agricultural research facility operating for nearly 140 years, is slated for closure by the federal government as part of public service spending cuts.

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I was gutted when I found out in January that the farm was going to be closed. I have been having ongoing meetings with the Minister of Agriculture and the ministry, the team there in Ottawa, to try to do something.

Smith-McCrossin has expressed strong opposition to the closure, emphasizing the farm's historical importance to the Maritimes in livestock management and forage production. She voiced concern that the roughly 90 head of cattle at the site are being designated as "cull cows" or "open cows," meaning they are not bred. Smith-McCrossin argues this designation significantly reduces their market value, potentially costing farmers $250,000 and likely resulting in their slaughter.

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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. 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.

However, MP Alana Hirtle has strongly refuted Smith-McCrossin's claims. In a public statement, Hirtle described the idea of a cull as "complete fiction" and "100 percent false," asserting that "someone just... made it up" with the intention to manipulate emotions. Hirtle stated that the government has no intention of slaughtering the animals at the end of the season and that the narrative being promoted is "the farthest thing from the truth."

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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. Someone just … made it up. They told a lie on purpose. They wanted to use your emotions for their own purposes.

Both politicians claim their stance is not personal but driven by a desire to represent their constituents and speak the truth. Smith-McCrossin stated her focus is on the Nappan Research Farm's legacy, the potential job losses, and the future of the cattle herd. Hirtle, meanwhile, feels compelled to correct what she believes is misinformation being spread for specific purposes.

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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.