Moving livestock safely, even short distances, requires the right type of trailer, skilled handlers and an informed plan for transport length and conditions. In order to ensure Canadian cattle are being handled with positive outcomes in mind, we need scientifically-informed guidelines for what appropriate travel durations and conditions are.
Dr. Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein, an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada researcher based at Lethbridge, Alta., specializes in livestock transport and other cattle welfare issues. In this episode of the Beef Research School, Karen outlines past and current research funded by the Beef Cattle Research Council that first benchmarked and then evaluated transport outcomes of Canadian cattle. The findings are key to shaping science-based regulations for the industry — ensuring rules reflect actual and not perceived risks of transport.
For more epsiodes of the Beef Research School, click here.
In this second episode of the Beef Research School, Rick Sincennes of Picture Butte, Alta., also explains how the Certified Livestock Transport program has shaped how he runs his transport company and the value of completing the program.
If you cannot see the embedded video, click here.