Slaughter Numbers
Federally Inspected Bison Harvested
The table below indicates that Canadian bison harvest increased substantially after the discovery of BSE in a beef cow in 2004. Post BSE, as the border restrictions were removed federal harvesting declined and was stable 2006- 2009. After that point federal slaughter declines as a greater proportion of the animals were exported to the
Provincially Inspected Bison Slaughter
Provincially inspected bison harvesting has been declining as federally harvested bison are made available to a larger market. Also a proportionately larger number of bison have been sold to premium markets in the EU.
Canadian Bison Slaughter Numbers
| Year | Federally
Inspected Slaughter |
Provincially
Inspected Slaughter |
Total Canadian
Slaughter |
| 2002 | 17,579 | 5,189 | 22,768 |
| 2003 | 23,483 | 6,216 | 29,699 |
| 2004 | 28,276 | 6,594 | 34,870 |
| 2005 | 22,504 | 7,056 | 29,560 |
| 2006 | 19,040 | 6,595 | 25,635 |
| 2007 | 19,731 | 6,248 | 25,979 |
| 2008 | 19,334 | 4,652 | 23,986 |
| 2009 | 19.097 | 4,068 | 23,165 |
| 2010 | 15,602 | 3,433 | 19,035 |
| 2011 | 10,504 | 2,544 | 13,048 |
| 2012 | 11,328 | 2,259 | 13,587 |
| 2013 | 11,586 | 2,820 | 14,406 |
| 2014 | 11,854 | 2,517 | 14,371 |
| 2015 | 12,027 | 2,159 | 14,186 |
| 2016 | 9,993 | 1,598 | 11,591 |
| 2017 | 9,369 | 1,517 | 10,886 |
| 2018 | 8,530 | 1,450 | 9,980 |
| 2019 | 8,214 | 1,411 | 9,625 |
| 2020 | 5,853 | 2,006 | 7,859 |
| 2021 | 7,726 | 2,522 | 10,248 |
| 2022 | 8,264 | 2,338 | 10,602 |
Source: Agriculture and
