Recommendations for future development in cattle transport in Europe

Area of Science:

• Animal welfare science
• Transport physiology
• Food safety

Background:

• Millions of cattle are transported annually within and to/from Europe, raising concerns about animal welfare, meat quality, and disease transmission.
• Current legislation inadequately protects transported animals, particularly over long distances, due to a lack of scientific evidence underpinning regulations.
• Previous research, including the EU-funded CATRA project, has focused on welfare and meat quality during cattle transport.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize key findings from recent research on cattle transport.
• To provide evidence-based recommendations for improving legislation and practices concerning animal transport.

Main Methods:

• Review and synthesis of recent research findings on cattle transport, including welfare and meat quality aspects.
• Analysis of animal responses (bulls, steers, heifers) to different transport conditions.
• Evaluation of existing transport regulations and practices.

Main Results:

• Animal welfare is determined by needs and conditions, not solely by transport duration; appropriate conditions can mitigate stress.
• Specific cattle types (bulls, steers, heifers) exhibit varied responses to transport.
• Meat quality is affected only in extreme transport situations; energy deficits can occur after 6 hours.
• Staging posts, especially for bulls, are identified as highly stressful points, increasing risks of injury and disease transmission.

Conclusions:

• Transport schemes must be adapted to the specific needs of cattle.
• Recommendations include developing appropriate feeding regimes for long journeys, eliminating stressful loading/unloading at staging posts, enhancing handler/driver education, and implementing monitoring systems.
• Improvements in vehicle design and driver incentives are also crucial for enhancing cattle welfare during transport.