Selecting sorting centres to avoid long distance transport of weaned beef calves

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Agricultural Logistics
• Operations Research

Background:

• The transport of weaned calves to fattening units negatively impacts animal welfare, health, and performance.
• Current transfer processes involve intermediaries and sorting centers, often leading to suboptimal travel distances.
• Optimizing these logistics is crucial for the young bull industry.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an algorithm for selecting sorting centers to minimize cattle transfer distances.
• To assess the algorithm's effectiveness using historical data from a large French beef producer organization.
• To identify potential improvements in sorting center management and cattle transport logistics.

Main Methods:

• Development of an optimization algorithm to select the most efficient sorting center for weaned calves.
• Testing the algorithm on a dataset of 136,892 cattle transfers across 13 sorting centers.
• Comparative analysis of transfer distances generated by the algorithm versus historical records.

Main Results:

• The algorithm successfully reduced overall transfer distances for weaned calves.
• Significant reductions were observed for long-distance transfers (average 18% or 76 km decrease for the longest 33% of transfers).
• The algorithm's distribution strategy highlighted varying efficiencies among sorting centers in minimizing travel.

Conclusions:

• The developed algorithm is an effective management tool for daily cattle transport, reducing distances and associated negative impacts.
• Implementing this algorithm can enhance animal welfare, health, and performance in the young bull industry.
• The findings offer valuable insights for improving the operational management of cattle sorting centers.