assessing livestock in transport
A guide to assist people to comply with
the Australian standards and guidelines for
the welfare of animals
land transport of livestock.
Most people will be familiar with this
fit to load guide from Meat and Livestock Australia
It details conditions which would
make an animal
unfit to load for transport.
People will also be aware of the WA codes of practice
which state that sheep and cattle must be fit to load prior to being transported.
Now the Australian standard for the land transport of
livestock which will replace codes of practice
in every Australian state and territory.
State that animals must be assessed as fit for the intended journey
prior to being transported.
It is not permitted to transport an animal which is
unable to bear weight on all its legs severely emaciated
visibly dehydrated showing signs of severe
injury or distress suffering from a condition which is likely to cause
increased pain or distress during transport, blind in both eyes
or in late pregnancy unless the journey is less than four hours to the final destination
See the standards for definitions of late pregnancy for each species
penalties could apply for anybody who breaches these standards
We will now have a look at some examples of animals
which would not be fit transport.
any animal which is unable to bear weight for whatever reason
on all of its legs is not fit to transport
Here sheep are not weight bearing for a variety of reasons;
from recent abscesses to old injuries which have since healed
these sheeep have all been assessed
as unfit to transport as they are not weight bearing on all of their legs
irrespective of the cause
animals which are assessed as unfit must not be taken to
any destination that includes abattoirs and knackeries
as well as sale yards.
severely emaciated animals will be assessed as unfit for transport
here are some examples:
and to help you make that decision about whether an animal
is severely emaciated or not and fit for transport or not
the Department of Agriculture has brought out two farm notes
one called welfare decisions for cattle and one called welfare decisions for sheep
Severely dehydrated animals
would be assessed as unfit too but an assessment would have to be made based on the
history of the animal
and an examination in the yard.
Animals showing signs severe injury or distress
must not be transported and sometimes that isn't
an easy decision to make.
This cow is clearly in pain from an infected udder.
The animal is lying down, has its ears back
and is reluctant to move.
but what about an injury such as broken horn
depending on the nature of the injury the animal may or may not be in pain
In order to make the right decision study the animal as well well as the injury.
Is it showing signs of pain and distress?
Is it is avoiding other animals or isolating itself
If it is, like this bull which is panting and isolating itself from other animals
it must not be transported.
If an animal has a condition which is
likely to cause increased
pain or distress through the act of transportation
it must not be loaded.
Whilst some of these conditions may
not be causing the animal extreme pain or distress while yarded
The act of transporting this animal
on a truck with other animals being bumped, moved and loaded
may well cause the condition to increase
the pain and distress to the animal
Remember animals assessed as unfit for transport
must not be transported to any destination
including to abbitoirs or knackeries.
animals which are blind in both eyes irrespective of whether the
they have painful conditions or not must not be loaded
animals in late pregnancy may
only be transported in line with the standards
for example cattle which are more than 37 weeks pregnant
and sheep which more than 19 weeks pregnant
may only be transported if the journey is less than four hours
check the standards for the species of animal that is being transported
So, what can be done with animals that are unfit for transport?
The options are
to provide treatment or monitoring as appropriate
onsite to assist the animal to recover
a vet could examine the animal and then it could be transported
under veterinary advice or the animal can be humanely euthanized.
It's important to note everyone in the transport chain from
owners, agents and drivers to those receiving animals
have a responsibility to adhere to the standards.
If you are in any doubt about which standards apply to your circumstances
you should consult the standards and guidelines
for the land transport of livestock.
More details can be found at www.livestockwelfarestandards.net.au
or contact your local department of agriculture and food