Humane shipping | Special consideration must be taken when shipping older animals to market
Keeping an old cow for one more year may not be a compassionate decision.
Videos posted on the internet by animal rights activists that reveal old, wobbly cows being treated badly in processing plants could be avoided if people got rid of those animals be-fore they became downers.
“The way to avoid that is to make those culling decisions earlier before they get into that bad shape,” said Reynold Bergen, head of the Beef Cattle Research Council.
“Most people are doing the right thing to avoid it, but one mistake can multiply itself pretty quickly and turn itself into a catastrophic video,” he said.
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Old and weak cows that probably could not stand a long trip should be processed closer to home, he said. The extremely infirm should be euthanized.
The closure of a cull cow plant in Quebec has made it difficult for eastern Canadian producers to decide where to send cull dairy cows. Their options are six hour trips to Toronto, Guelph, Ont., or Pennsylvania.
“If these cows are travelling further, we need to make extra sure that they are in good condition to make that trip,” he said.
British Columbia dairy cows travel at least 12 hours across the mountains for processing in Alberta.
“Dairy cows are special needs. They are fragile by nature,” said Jennifer Woods, who teaches a certified livestock transportation course to hundreds of truckers every year across North America.
The certification course will be updated next year and continue to emphasize humane care for shipping dairy and beef cattle, sheep, poultry, meat horses and pigs of all ages and condition.
Mostly healthy animals are moving to market this time of year, but producers need to take responsibility for older animals.
“It starts back on the farm,” she said.
“We need to be responsible going into the winter months because cold weather is hard on cull animals. We need to ship animals before they become compromised.”
Most producers and haulers are responsible and don’t move questionable animals.
As well, transportation companies should not be put in a position of deciding whether an animal is fit to travel. They are liable if something happens and could be fined at the plant if animals are down.
Agriculture Canada research has found that more than 99 percent of animals arrive at their destination without problems.
“The risk of those animals falling into that category was highest with old market cows,” Bergen said.
Livestock transportation in Canada is regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Transport Canada.
Provincial departments of transport determine maximum trailer lengths and axle weight limits.
Canadian researchers have worked since 2006 on improving loading densities, ventilation, the effects of time and distance and animal handling.
Agriculture Canada has developed travel recommendations based on risk.
Finished and yearling cattle are low risk. They are young, healthy and have good fat cover, which helps them withstand transport stress.
Medium risk may include feeder calves that are more tired and stressed from weaning, commingled with calves from other herds and fed unfamiliar feed in livestock markets.
They may be injured in transit and are much more likely to get sick as a result of this accumulated stress. Calves are more susceptible as the time in truck increases, especially at more than 30 hours.
Calves are also more sensitive than fat cattle to external temperatures of less than – 15 C or higher than 30 C.
Market cows are at high risk, especially the old, thin or weak ones.
Thin haired dairy cows from an insulated barn suffer more from the cold. They should be well bedded and segregated in the doghouse or back end of a trailer so they are loaded last and unloaded first.
- excessively thin with a body condition score of one, due to hardware disease, lump jaw, malnutrition, old age or disease
- have an obvious growth on the eyeball or eyelid. Advanced cases of cancer eye where the animal is blind or the eye has been obscured are not fit for human consumption and will be condemned at the packing plant
- lame, downers, or those that cannot rise, stand and walk under their own power
- have an obviously displaced or prolapsed vagina or rectum
- lactating cows that are milking heavily or have mastitis, except for short distances, direct to slaughter
- heavily pregnant cows or expected to calve within a few weeks
- suspected of having diseases such as rabies, BSE or tuberculosis. Animals with a fever higher than 39 C should not be moved
- stress can also depress the immune system. Less stress in transport reduces the risk of animals becoming sick after the trip is completed
