Transport, Associated Handling Procedures and Behaviour of Calves Marketed through Chilean Auction Markets

Abstract

In Chile, selling animals through livestock markets is common. At markets, stressful events like loading, unloading and travel are at least duplicated. We described procedures associated with transport of calves at 20 markets and evaluated compliance with Chilean law by performing a survey of drivers who transport calves from origin farms to markets (OM) and from markets to destination (MD). During loading and unloading, we evaluated handling by stockpersons, facilities, fitness for transport, and behavioural indicators of the calves through direct observation using protocols. A total of 80% of drivers claimed having the training required by law. The mean travel time was 1 h 31 min for OM and 1 h 44 min for MD journeys (overall range 5 min–40.5 h). Most drivers used bedding material and provided adequate space availability. A total of 99.2% of the observed calves were assessed as fit to transport; slipping, turning back, vocalizing and balking were frequent behaviours observed during loading and unloading. Prohibited practices like prodding and hitting using driving devices were still observed, mainly during loading. Compliance with the law during transport of calves was adhered to; however, the associated handling within markets was still inadequate, evidencing need for training in order to improve animal welfare.

Application of a Protocol to Assess Camel Welfare: Scoring System of Collected Measures, Aggregated Assessment Indices, and Criteria to Classify a Pen

“…In agreement with our findings, Bergin and Nijman [ 30 ] found that animals kept in Moroccan markets showed poor welfare conditions due to lack of water access, sun/heat protection, and facilities to hide from stressors. Similar welfare issues have been found with cattle kept at markets in South America [ 31 ] and small ruminants in a large abattoir in Ethiopia [ 32 ]. Pritchard et al [ 33 ], using skin tenting in a large sample of equids in the Middle East, found that 37% of donkeys and 50% of horses showed signs of dehydration.…”

Comparison of the Automatic and Manual Broiler Pre-Slaughter Chain Based on Trailer Microclimate during Transportation and Its Effect on m. pectoralis major

“…Any stress effects resulting in a reduction in the quality of the meat must be minimized. Poultry is most exposed to the stress of being caught on farms, transported, and then taken to the slaughterhouse and hooked before stunning [7,25]. The warm summer months are particularly problematic during transport, when high temperatures during transport can lead to overheating of poultry and subsequent death during transport or deterioration of meat quality.…”

Welfare of cattle during transport

“…Most investigators have found elevated creatine kinase levels upon arrival (Van de Water et al, 2003;Grigor et al, 2004;Earley et al, 2010;Bernardini et al, 2012). However, the results of another study indicated that there were no significant changes in CK activity following transport (Cafazzo et al, 2012).…”

“…Unweaned calves are more difficult to move than older cattle because they do not show a natural herding behaviour (Broom and Fraser, 2007), thereby increasing the risk of poor handling (Roadknight et al, 2021a) and injury, discomfort and pain during handling. Gregory et al (2013) suggested that slips and falls were the main problems during loading, and according to Bravo et al (2020) slips and vocalisations were most frequently observed during unloading, whereas slips and turning around happened most frequently during loading.…”