Optimizing welfare in transport and slaughter of cattle

Transport represents one of the most stressful events an animal may experience. Its impact on the welfare of beef and dairy cattle is frequently underestimated, as are the effects of transport on carcass quality issues such as bruises and dark cutting beef. For ease of discussion, the process is broken down into three phases: pre-transport, transport and arrival at slaughter. The pre-transport phase includes selection of animals to be removed from herds and determining their fitness for travel, and making preparations based upon weather conditions, time and distance to the ultimate destination. The behavioral tendency of cattle to stand during transport increases stress, fatigue and the potential for injury as time in transit increases, especially for compromised animals. Upon arrival at slaughter, animals should exit at that their own speed into an alleyway that provides an obvious unrestricted path to follow in route to a holding pen. The holding pen should provide immediate access to water and be large enough to avoid overcrowding of animals. The movement of animals from the pre-slaughter holding pen to the alleyway leading to the stun box should move in an orderly and calm manner with little, or preferably no use of prodding devices. Once the animal enters the restrainer, stunning should proceed without delay.

An Environmental Evaluation of the Cut-Flower Supply Chain (Dendranthema grandiflora) Through a Life Cycle Assessment

Colombia is a major flower exporter of a wide variety of species, among which the chrysanthemum plays a major role due to its exporting volume and profitability on the international market. This study examines the major environmental impacts of the chrysanthemum supply chain through a life cycle assessment (LCA). One kg of stems export quality was used as the functional unit (FU). The study examines cut-flowers systems from raw material extraction to final product commercialization for two markets (London and Miami) and analyzes two agroecosystems: one certified system and one uncertified system. The transport phase to London resulted in more significant environmental impacts than the transport phase to Miami, and climate change (GWP100) category was significant in both cities, generating values of 9.10E+00 and 2.51E+00 kg CO2-eq*FU for London and Miami, respectively. Furthermore, when exclusively considering pre-export phases, the uncertified system was found to have a greater impact than the certified system with respect to fertilizer use (certified 1,448E-02 kg*FU, uncertified 2.23E-01 kg*FU) and pesticide use (certified 1.24 E-04 kg*FU, uncertified 2.24E-03 kg*FU). With respect to the crop management, eutrophication (EP) and acidification (AP) processes imposed the greatest level of environmental impact. Strategies that would significantly reduce the environmental impact of this supply chain are considered, including the use of shipping and a 50% reduction in fertilizer use.

Investigations Into Uncertainties in Fatigue Damage During Transport Phase for Topside Structures

Up to now, the uncertainties in the fatigue utilization during operation (long-term, typical 20 to 30 years) phase have been widely investigated for various oil and gas installations while limited attentions have been paid to the fatigue damage during the transport phase. In normal, the fatigue damage during the transport phase is assumed to contribute limited proportions (for example, less than 5%) of the total fatigue damage for the whole life since the transport duration is at most several months. However, as the size of oil and gas installations increases, the fatigue damage during the transport phase may increase noticeably considering the inertia forces in moderate or severe sea states. During the transport, the weather encountered may deviate significantly from the long-term statistical values. It becomes crucial to determine the uncertainties in the calculated fatigue damage during the transportation phase. Nowadays, the uncertainties are mainly accounted for using Design Fatigue Factor (DFF) while the value of DFF may be different in different standards. In this paper, the fatigue damage for a topside module during the transport phase is studied. Three different vessels are to be used for comparison purpose. The uncertainties due to the sea states encountered are focused. Simplified approach is adopted to investigate the factors influencing fatigue damage. In addition, the calculated fatigue damage is also compared with the fatigue damage based on simplified fatigue analysis.