An audit of transport conditions and arrival status of slaughter cattle shipped by road at an Ontario processor

2010 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
L A Warren ◽  
I B Mandell ◽  
K G Bateman
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Temperature Variation ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Transport Time ◽  
Slaughter Cattle ◽  
In Transit ◽  
Canada Data

This is an observational study to investigate slaughter cattle transportation conditions in Canada. Data collected include: length of time in transit; temperature variation; season; weather transport conditions; cattle weight; sex and whether sexes were separated on mixed loads; number of lots and whether lots were separated; cattle unloading speed; cattle handling score; trucker training and experience hauling cattle; ventilation; and condition of cattle at arrival. Information was collected on approximately 50 000 animals transported by 1363 trucks. All but 0.2% of trucks arrived within the 52 h allowable transport time before unloading required for rest, feed, and water. Most trucks (85.7%) were from within 8 h of the plant. Trucks surveyed were at or above the recommended space allowance 49% of the time. There were five non-ambulatory (unable to walk off the truck with or without assistance) or dead, 79 lame, and four animals that needed assistance of the 49 959 animals observed (0.4, 4.8 and 0.2%, respectively, of the trucks surveyed). However, these concerns were not necessarily a result of transportation, as animal health at loading was unknown. There were very few visible animal welfare concerns associated with the transportation of slaughter cattle in the population sampled. Key words: Cattle, transport, welfare, beef

Road transport conditions of slaughter cattle: Effects on the prevalence of dark, firm and dry beef

2010 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 471-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.A. Warren ◽  
I.B. Mandell ◽  
K.G. Bateman
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Temperature Variation ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
Driver Training ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Benchmark Study ◽  
Slaughter Cattle ◽  
Gait Score ◽  
In Transit ◽  
Canada Data

TThis is a benchmark study to investigate slaughter cattle transportation conditions in Canada. Data collected included: season; temperature variation; truck ventilation; transport conditions; length of time in transit; trucker training and experience hauling cattle; number of lots and whether lots were separated; sex and whether sexes were separated on mixed loads; cattle unloading gait score; cattle handling score; cattle weight and number of dark cutters. Information was collected on approximately 50 000 animals transported by 1363 trucks. The prevalence of dark cutters (mean = 2% per truckload) was highest in mixed loads, followed by heifers and steers. Mixed loads that were not separated (steers and heifers in the same compartment) had a greater prevalence of dark cutters than mixed loads that were separated. The GLIMMIX procedure in SAS 9.1 was used for the analysis of the risk factors associated with dark cutters. Province of origin, cattle unloading speed, driver training, truck ventilation, trucking experience, sex, origin (sale barn or feedlot) and whether or not cattle were held in lairage overnight were all significant predictors for dark cutting beef.

scholarly journals Brexit and Animal Protection: Legal and Political Context and a Framework to Assess Impacts on Animal Welfare

Animals ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven McCulloch
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Agricultural Policy ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Conservative Party ◽  
Political Support ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Animal Protection ◽  
Protection Policy ◽  
The Uk

The British people voted to leave the European Union (EU) in a 2016 referendum. The United Kingdom (UK) has been a member of the EU since the Maastricht Treaty was signed in 1993 and before that a member of the European Communities (EC) since 1973. EU animal health and welfare regulations and directives have had a major impact on UK animal protection policy. Similarly, the UK has had a substantial impact on EU animal protection. Brexit represents a substantial political upheaval for animal protection policy, with the potential to impact animal welfare in the UK, EU and internationally. Brexit’s impact on farmed animals will determine the overall impact of Brexit on animals. A major threat to animal welfare is from importing lower welfare products. A major opportunity is reform of UK agricultural policy to reward high welfare outside the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). A soft Brexit, in which the UK remains in the single market and/or customs union, mitigates the threat of importing lower welfare products. A harder Brexit means threats to animal welfare are more likely to materialise. Whether threats and opportunities do materialise will depend on political considerations including decisions of key political actors. The Conservative Government delivering Brexit has a problematic relationship with animal protection. Furthermore, Brexit represents a shift to the political right, which is not associated with progressive animal protection. There is significant political support in the Conservative Party for a hard Brexit. Further research is required to investigate whether the various threats and opportunities are likely to materialise.

Invited review: Importance of animal health and welfare for the stability of the three pillars of sustainability of livestock systems

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-214
Author(s):  
P. Chemineau
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Population Increase ◽  
Strong Interactions ◽  
Essential Components ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Livestock Systems

The future livestock systems at the world level will have to produce more in the perspective of the population increase in the next 30 years, whereas reducing their environmental footprint and addressing societal concerns. In that perspective, we may wonder if animal health and animal welfare, which are two essential components of production systems, may play an important role in the stability of the three pillars of sustainability of the livestock systems. We already know that objectives driven by economy, environment and society may modify animal welfare and animal health, but is the reverse true? The answer is yes and in 11 cases out of 12 of the matrix health-welfare×3 pillars of sustainability×positive or negative change, we have many examples indicating that animal health and animal welfare are able to modify, positively or negatively, the three pillars of sustainability. Moreover, we also have good examples of strong interactions between health and welfare. These elements play in favour of an holistic approach at the farm level and of a multicriterial definition of what could be the sustainable systems of animal production in the future which will respect animal welfare and maintain a good animal health.

scholarly journals Bovine Tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) Outbreak Duration in Cattle Herds in Ireland: A Retrospective Observational Study

Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 815
Author(s):  
Andrew W. Byrne ◽  
Damien Barrett ◽  
Philip Breslin ◽  
Jamie M. Madden ◽  
James O'Keeffe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Mycobacterium Bovis ◽  
Bovine Tuberculosis ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Herd Size ◽  
Policy Formation ◽  
Nitrogen Loading ◽  
Management Policy ◽  
Retrospective Observational Study

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) outbreaks, caused by Mycobacterium bovis infection, are a costly animal health challenge. Understanding factors associated with the duration of outbreaks, known as breakdowns, could lead to better disease management policy development. We undertook a retrospective observational study (2012–2018) and employed Finite Mixture Models (FMM) to model the outcome parameter, and to investigate how factors were associated with duration for differing subpopulations identified. In addition to traditional risk factors (e.g., herd size, bTB history), we also explored farm geographic area, parcels/farm fragmentation, metrics of intensity via nitrogen loading, and whether herds were designated controlled beef finishing units (CBFU) as potential risk factors for increased duration. The final model fitted log-normal distributions, with two latent classes (k) which partitioned the population into a subpopulation around the central tendency of the distribution, and a second around the tails of the distribution. The latter subpopulation included longer breakdowns of policy interest. Increasing duration was positively associated with recent (<3 years) TB history and the number of reactors disclosed, (log) herd size, beef herd-type relative to other herd types, number of land parcels, area, being designated a CBFU (“feedlot”) and having high annual inward cattle movements within the “tails” subpopulation. Breakdown length was negatively associated with the year of commencement of breakdown (i.e., a decreasing trend) and non-significantly with the organic nitrogen produced on the farm (N kg/hectare), a measure of stocking density. The latter finding may be due to confounding effects with herd size and area. Most variables contributed only moderately to explaining variation in breakdown duration, that is, they had moderate size effects on duration. Herd-size and CBFU had greater effect sizes on the outcome. The findings contribute to evidence-based policy formation in Ireland.

scholarly journals Is One Health a Viable Strategy in Animal Health Litigation: Evidence from Civil Lawsuits in China

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2560
Author(s):  
Kai Wu ◽  
Ying Yu ◽  
Chen Chen ◽  
Zheming Fu
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
One Health ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Civil Lawsuit ◽  
Civil Lawsuits ◽  
Advantageous Position ◽  
The One ◽  
Judicial Protection

Several litigation strategies are used to gain support from courts in order to protect animals. While the emerging litigation strategy themed in One Health stimulates judicial protection in the animal health sector, little is known about whether and how such strategies are supported by courts. In this article, we investigate how animal welfare litigation strategies influence judge’s choices within their discretion. We argue that litigators equipped with the litigation strategy themed in One Health are placed in an advantageous position in animal health cases, but that this tendency varies markedly across zoonoses. Specifically, we suggest that litigators utilizing One Health’s litigation strategy are associated with higher probabilities to win, whereas normal litigators are not. Further, we propose that litigators equipped with the One Health litigation strategy are awarded more damages from judges. We test and find support for our predictions using a cross sectional dataset of civil lawsuit cases centering on the animal health industry in Chinese mainland. Our findings indicate that courts indeed were persuaded by the One Health litigation strategy, even when bound by the discretion rules. At the same time, we suggest that for advocates who would like to litigate for animal welfare in the animal health sector, the litigation strategy themed in One Health might have potentially positive implications.

Strengthening existing healthcare systems for sustainable animal welfare.

2021 ◽  
pp. 161-177
Author(s):  
Shereene Williams ◽  
Laura Skippen
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
National Level ◽  
Healthcare Systems ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Local Systems ◽  
Last Mile ◽  
Global Agenda ◽  
Universal Health ◽  
Human Healthcare

Abstract More can be achieved by working with what is already in place, compared with creating new systems that undermine local systems and traditions. However, creating lasting improvements in animal health systems at a national level is an ambitious task. Last-mile human healthcare is a key issue in the drive to achieve universal health coverage for all people and looking to the ways that humanitarian agencies are trying to achieve this will be key in driving this forwards for all animals in the future. To push animal welfare up the global agenda and create a catalyst for change, referencing solely animal welfare is not enough. Drawing on linkages between people, the planet and animals is essential.

scholarly journals From unloading to trimming: studying bruising in individual slaughter cattle

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen C Kline ◽  
Zachary D Weller ◽  
Temple Grandin ◽  
Ryan J Algino ◽  
Lily N Edwards-Callaway
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Sample Size ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Traumatic Events ◽  
Visual Assessment ◽  
Slaughter Cattle ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Trim Loss ◽  
Analyze Data

Abstract Livestock bruising is both an animal welfare concern and a detriment to the economic value of carcasses. Understanding the causes of bruising is challenging due to the numerous factors that have been shown to be related to bruise prevalence. While most cattle bruising studies collect and analyze data on truckload lots of cattle, this study followed a large number (n = 585) of individual animals from unloading through postmortem processing at five different slaughter plants. Both visual bruise presence and location was recorded postmortem prior to carcass trimming. By linking postmortem data to animal sex, breed, trailer compartment, and traumatic events at unloading, a rich analysis of a number of factors related to bruise prevalence was developed. Results showed varying levels of agreement with other published bruising studies, underscoring the complexity of assessing the factors that affect bruising. Bruising prevalence varied across different sex class types (P &lt; 0.001); 36.5% of steers [95% confidence interval (CI): 31.7, 41.6; n = 378], 52.8% of cows (45.6, 60.0; 193), and 64.3% of bulls (no CI calculated due to sample size; 14) were bruised. There was a difference in bruise prevalence by trailer compartment (P = 0.035) in potbelly trailers, indicating that cattle transported in the top deck were less likely to be bruised (95% CI: 26.6, 40.4; n = 63) compared to cattle that were transported in the bottom deck (95% CI: 39.6, 54.2; n = 89). Results indicated that visual assessment of bruising underestimated carcass bruise trimming. While 42.6% of the carcasses were visibly bruised, 57.9% of carcasses were trimmed due to bruising, suggesting that visual assessment is not able to capture all of the carcass loss associated with bruising. Furthermore, bruises that appeared small visually were often indicators of larger, subsurface bruising, creating an “iceberg effect” of trim loss due to bruising.

scholarly journals The slaughter of increased numbers of pregnant cows in Tanga abattoir, Tanzania: A cause for concern?

2015 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel S. Swai ◽  
Abdu A. Hayghaimo ◽  
Ayubu A. Hassan ◽  
Bartholomeo S. Mhina
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Third Trimester ◽  
Local Breed ◽  
The Third ◽  
High Level ◽  
Animal Welfare Legislation

Information on the level of foetal wastage in slaughtered cattle in Tanzania is limited. A three-month observational study (April – June 2014) of animals slaughtered at the Tanga abattoir in Tanga region, Tanzania was carried out to determine the number of pregnant cows slaughtered. The total number of cattle slaughtered during the study period was 3643, representing a monthly kill average of 1214 and a daily kill average of 40. Over 98% of the cattle presented to the abattoir for slaughter were local breed (Tanzania shorthorn zebu) and most were above 3 years of age. Improved breeds of cattle represented only 1.3% of all slaughters. Of the cattle slaughtered, 2256 (61.9%) were female and 1387 (38.1%) were male. A total of 655 slaughtered cows were pregnant, representing a foetal wastage of 29.1%. Of the 655 recovered foetuses, 333 (50.8%) were male and 322 (49.2%) were female. Of the recovered foetuses, 25.8% were recovered in the first, 42.7% in the second and 31.6% in the third trimester. This study indicates cases of significant foetal losses, negatively impacting future replacement stock as a result of the slaughter of pregnant animals. The indiscriminate slaughter of pregnant cows suggests that existing animal welfare legislation is not sufficiently enforced and routine veterinary ante-mortem inspection of trade animals is failing to prevent the high level of foetal wastage.

The effect of feed type on mouth lesions in slaughter cattle

1994 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 571-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. B. Karren ◽  
L. A. Goonewardene ◽  
J. A. Bradley
Keyword(s):  
Lymph Node ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Slaughter Cattle ◽  
Lymph Node Enlargement ◽  
Key Words Incidence

The incidence of tongue lesions in slaughter cattle was 19.1%. Although the incidence of lymph node enlargement was low, it was five times higher in cattle with tongue lesions. Carcass weights were not affected by the presence of mouth lesions. The incidence of lesions was significantly higher (P < 0.00001) for cattle finished on silage from semi-dwarf rough awn (29.3%) compared to normal stem rough awn (13.5%) and normal stem smooth awn (11.8%) barley. Key words: Incidence, lesions, tongue, barley, cattle.

scholarly journals 184 Review of animal welfare data for cattle and swine

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 13-14
Author(s):  
Michelle S Calvo-Lorenzo
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Herd Health ◽  
Mortality Trends ◽  
The Past ◽  
Mobility Data ◽  
Transport Losses

Abstract Interest in the topic of animal welfare continues to grow as knowledge about the quality of life of food animals evolves. Improving management practices that enhance welfare conditions for livestock requires tools that allow livestock caretakers to assess and address animal welfare conditions effectively and practically on farms. Over the past several years, Elanco Animal Health has developed analytical resources for beef cattle and swine producers to inform them on trends associated with finished cattle mobility and mortality, and transport losses in marketed swine. This presentation will share findings from Elanco’s databases and the published literature to inform and foster discussion important to livestock welfare advancements. Relative to finished cattle mobility, data captured from 11.5 M head (2015–2019) demonstrate that cattle mobility continues to trend positively with approximately 90% of cattle observed with normal mobility conditions at packing plants (Edwards-Callaway et al., 2017); however, mortality trends and veterinary medical charges are higher over the past 5 years (2014–2018) when closeout data from 41.8 M head of beef cattle are evaluated across U.S. feedlots. Relative to market weight pig transport losses, an industry survey of 310 M pigs (2012–2015) indicate that averages for total dead pigs, non-ambulatory pigs, and total losses were 0.26%, 0.63%, and 0.88%, respectively (Yoder et al., 2017), which is similar to reported values in the literature (Ritter et al., 2009). Collectively, this information is important for measuring continuous improvement and determining where opportunities exist to evaluate management practices associated with herd health protocols, seasonal impacts, handling, and transport conditions. Animal welfare challenges are a non-compete issue for the livestock industry, and tools to assess these welfare topics are key to the enhancement of current practices and development of novel approaches to positively impact the role that livestock caretakers have on animal welfare.

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