Transportation is mainly about trucking between locations, such as to the auction market or to slaughter, but the broader definition involves any movement of livestock, whether it is down an alley, down the road to change pastures or down the highway to the veterinary clinic.
Producers are aware of the need to transport animals humanely and they have been helped by new stock trailer designs. The new trailers are easier to load and unload than the former standard: the three to five ton truck with stock rack. By avoiding steep unloading chutes and opening the entire back, stock trailers have made great progress in reducing bruises and excessive use of stock prods.
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The ability for producers to segregate different sizes of stock, such as cows and calves, also avoids unnecessary injuries and fighting. Always segregate as much as possible.
Trailers also end the worry of the driver backing up off kilter to the chute. I have seen animals’ feet slip through the space between the truck and loading chute, leading to severe injuries and even broken limbs.
Most trailers have checkerboard aluminium floors or mats that minimize slippery floors. A well-maintained stock trailer is an absolute must for any modern livestock producer.
Loading chutes require special attention. When building them, producers should ensure that they have no more than a 20 degree angle. Preferably they should have a level platform area before entering the truck, which greatly facilitates loading. It is easy to see why all auction market chutes are built this way. Examine facilities where cattle load easily and copy their design. Most commercially made chutes have this level area in their construction.
Footing on chutes is critical. Have sand or shavings available at the chute exit to add if animals start slipping. Permanent structures usually have grooved concrete and this is probably ideal.
Non-ambulatory animals are probably the most at risk. In Alberta a downer is considered “an animal that cannot rise, remain standing or walk without assistance.”
It is almost impossible to humanely move mature downer animals. They need either early treatment on the farm, slaughter or euthanasia.
The bar is being set high for the treatment of these animals. Transporting them is illegal, except to a veterinary clinic for treatment and even that is not advised. Chances of success would be far greater if treated at home.
When shipping a number of animals at once, always load the lame, thinner animals at the back with lots of room. In transportation, the most common welfare problem is overcrowding, followed by stockmanship and poor driving. If commercial drivers follow their weight restrictions they will not overcrowd with market weight cattle, but it is a possibility when moving calves.
Climatic factors must be considered when transporting livestock. The upper critical temperature is 30 C and when the weather is cold, wind chill and type of livestock must be considered. Animals that are normally kept inside, such as pigs or dairy cattle, will not be acclimatized and will be prone to frostbite. Ears are particularly at risk with pigs and udders with dairy cows.
When transporting in hot weather, it is imperative to keep the vehicle moving. If you must stop, park in the shade.
With long distances, the issue of providing food and water arises. It is legal to transport 48 hours on a truck without water, but after that time animals must be rested for at least five hours.
In Europe the regulations are much stiffer. After 29 hours the animals must be rested for 24 hours before continuing the journey. Some slaughter cattle from Alberta are taken as far as Quebec, which is a 68-hour haul. They are rested, fed and watered only once – in Thunder Bay.
The completed and planned increase in slaughter capacity in the West should reduce these long hauls. As one producer so aptly put it, we would be better to slaughter the animal here at the source and ship the finished product there. There is also the huge economic gain from less shrinkage, injuries and other problems associated with long hauls.
Animal welfare in transportation is no different than other forms of animal welfare. Problems are often caused by ignorance and a little education goes a long way to rectifying them.
Courses that teach these principles will be available to truckers starting in June. A good website is www.
livestocktransport.ca.
An animal activist group called Animal Angels has followed long haul trucks moving hogs and cattle in the United States and Canada. Although they may be fanatical in some aspects, I think a few of their demands are worth considering:
- They want a rest period of at least 24 hours for long haul cattle and more frequent watering.
- They call for two drivers on long journeys. If only one driver is available he can become tired and unsafe. Also, he may have to stop for long periods to rest with a full truck.
- At border crossings, livestock trucks should have top priority. Border lineups are often longer than one hour in extreme summer heat just to get papers signed.
If we all practise the same good livestock handling practices on the road as we do at home, stock will arrive healthier and less stressed and we will all be the better for it, psychologically and in the healthy meat we produce.
Roy Lewis is a veterinarian practising in Westlock, Alta.
