Keeping animal stress at a minimum during transport

Animals can experience great stress during transportation, which not only impacts productivity and meat quality, but is also a welfare concern. Stress cannot be eliminated, but can be mitigated.

- Janine Ryan

Transporting livestock on public roads in South Africa is regulated by the National Road Traffic Act of 1996 and other relevant legislation, including the Animals Protection Act. When transporting livestock, there are a number of key considerations, including obtaining necessary permits, ensuring animal health and welfare, using appropriate vehicles and handling practices, and adhering to specific time and distance restrictions.

ANIMAL WELFARE

There are times that livestock must be transported. When you buy animals, they will have to be moved to your farm. When you sell animals, they have to be moved to the buyer's farm. Of course, animals are also transported to feedlots and abattoirs, sales and auctions.

The general consensus is that transporting livestock is very stressful for the animals. This kind of stress can lead to weight loss, due to dehydration and metabolic changes; reduced productivity, as stress leads to lower feed intake, reduced milk production and decreased growth rates; increased morbidity and mortality as a result of higher rates of illness during or shortly after transport; compromised meat quality, as stress can negatively impact muscle glycogen levels, leading to undesirable changes in meat quality; and behavioural issues, as animals become fearful, agitated or reluctant to move.

In order to ensure the welfare of your animals during transportation, as well as future productivity and meat quality, it is thus critical that you take the necessary steps to eliminate and reduce stress in your animals as much as possible.

STRESSORS