Stress Responses of Cattle to Transport

Introduction

This comment provides an overview of the potential stress-responses of cattle to transport and how it affects their welfare.

Definition

Moberg (2000:1) defines stress 'as the biological response elicited when an individual perceives a threat to its homeostasis. The threat is the 'stressor.' When the stress response indeed threatens the animal's well-being, then the animal experiences' distress.'​

Signs of distress in cattle during transport

• Refusal to lie down -> cattle lies down if a situation is not disturbing, but stand if it is;

• Increased respiratory rate -> if disturbed by events in its environment;

• Excessive sweating;

• Thirst is increased;

• Increased urination;

• Excessive salivation;

• Inability to move;

• Collapse, convulsions, coma;

• Stress hormones appear in the blood,

(Ruth Consolidated Industries Pty Ltd).

• Changes in heart rate, blood pressure, and gastrointestinal activity -> decreases when frightened (Minero et al., 2001).

Situations causing distress during transport

Mixing with unfamiliar animals

Cattle are a social species, and being together with unknown animals can lead to aggression. Male adult cattle, as well as calves aged six months, may fight when mixed during transport or in lairage(Trunkfield and Broom, 1991).

Stocking density

For calves of up to 50 kilograms of weight, the legal space in the EU is just 0.4 square meter, and for grown cows of up to 700 kilograms, it is 1.3 square meters (VCÖ, 2014). Tarrant et al. (1992) studied the welfare of cattle in regards to stocking density, and he had found that falls, bruising, cortisol, and creatine kinase levels, all increased when the stocking density was tight.

Handling by staff

Cattle are flight animals. Therefore, the processing by the staff is an essential factor in the maintenance of stress levels the animal may experience. If the staff is behaving aggressively toward the cattle, this can lead to anti-predatory behavior (Le Neindre et al., 1996).

Driving behavior

Many means of transport involve a lot of lateral movements or sudden breakings that even if the cattle have become acclimated to their surroundings, the animals cannot lie down. This also raises the risk of injuries (Broom, 2003).

Diseases

In transports, especially long-distance, diseases develop and spread quite fast. The so-called, “shipping fever” is an increased incidence of respiratory illnesses noticed in cattle that were being transported. This is attributed to a suppression of the immune system caused by transportation stress (Moberg, 2000).

Water supply

According to EU-law, transports at a length of up to 8 hours are considered as short-distance transports and do not require water supply at all.

Long distance transports

In the EU it is allowed to transport cattle for up to 30 hours without a break. 34% of exported calves and 32% of exported cattle are transported without breaks for over 8 hours (VCÖ, 2014). Noise, summer heat, and bad air are distress factors that accumulate on long rides.

Conclusion

The EU exports 730.000 cattle to non-EU countries every year (CiWF et al., 2013). In non-EU countries, these animals are no longer protected by EU-law and are often treated under deplorable conditions (Pic. 1).

But transport also happens within one EU country or between two of them. All these means and ways of transporting animals can have a substantial effect on the welfare of the animals as mentioned above, and they should be improved.

Pic. 1 (Freie Medien, 2018)

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References

Broom, D.M. (2003) Transport stress in cattle and sheep with details of physiological and other indicators. Deutsche tierärztliche Wochenschrift, 110, (3), 83-89. Published by Researchgate. Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/10774405_Transport_stress_in_cattle_and_sheep_with_details_of_physiological_ethological_and_other_indicators[Acccessed 23 January 2019].

Compassion in World Farming (CiWF), Eyes on Animals and Animal Welfare Foundation (2013) EXPORT OF LIVE ANIMALS FROM EUROPEAN UNION TO NON-EU COUNTRIES.Available at: https://www.ciwf.org.uk/media/4037267/Export_of_live_animals_from_eu_to_noneu_countries.pdf[Accessed 23 January 2019].

Freie Medien (2018) Freie Medien – News. 21 October. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/FreieMedien3.0/photos/a.1248900765160225/2122598147790478/?type=3&theater[Accessed 23 October 2019].

Le Neindre, P., Boivin X. and Boissy, A. (1996) Handling of extensively kept animals. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 49, 73-81.

Minero, M., Canali, E., Ferrante, V. and Carenzi, C. (2001) Measurement and time domain analysis of heart rate variability in dairy cattle. The Veterinary record, 149, (25), 772-774.

Moberg, G.P. (2000) Biological Responses to Stress: Implications for Animal Welfare. In: Moberg G.P. and Mench J.A. (eds.) The Biology of Animal Stress.New York: CABI Pub, 1-21.

Ruth Consolidated Industries Pty Ltd.How to recognize heat stressed dairy cattle. Available at: https://www.heatstress.info/heatstressinfo/Heatstressexplained/HeatstressedDairyCattle/tabid/2201/Default.aspx. [Accessed 23 January 2019].

Tarrant,P.V., Kenny, F.J., Harrington, D. and Murphy, M (1992) Long distance transportsation of steers to slaughter, effect of stocking density on physiology, behaviour and carcass quality. Livestock Production Science, 30, 223-238.

Trunkfield, H.R. and Broom, D.M. (1991) The effects of the social environment on calf responses

to handling and transport. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 30, 177.

VCÖ (2014) Weniger Tierleid durch kontrollierte und kürzere Tiertransporte. Available at: https://www.vcoe.at/files/vcoe/uploads/News/VCOe-Factsheets/2014-18%20Weniger%20Tierleid%20durch%20Tiertransporte/VCOe-Factsheet%20Tiertransporte.pdf[Accessed 23 January 2019].