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Animals
Special Issues
Long Distance Transport of Animals
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Long Distance Transport of Animals

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2013) | Viewed by 14076

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Michael Cockram

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre, Department of Health Management, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, PE C1A 4P3, Canada
Interests: transport and pre-slaughter management of farm animals; animal welfare assessment

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The welfare implications of the long-distance transportation of livestock are a topic of concern, but there are economic reasons for this practice and consequences to industry can arise from restrictions to this practice. More evidence is required on the reasons for long-distance transportation and the effects of this practice on the welfare of animals. There are many factors during transportation that can affect the welfare of the animals and there are many ways of assessing their response to transportation. If research is able to identify practices that select animals fit for the journey and provide optimal journey characteristics this might mitigate some of the effects of long-distance transportation. However, there are likely to be some issues that arise from long-distance transportation that affect all animals regardless of the quality of the journey. The papers in this special issue should provide useful contributions to this important and controversial topic.

Dr. Michael Cockram
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The article processing charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). English correction and/or formatting fees will be charged in certain cases for those articles accepted for publication that require extensive additional formatting and/or English corrections. For further details see here.


Keywords

  • transport of animals
  • animal welfare
  • economics
  • trade in animals

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

123 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Age, Stocking Density and Flooring during Transport on Welfare of Young Dairy Calves in Australia
by Ellen C. Jongman and Kym L. Butler
Animals 2014, 4(2), 184-199; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani4020184 - 11 Apr 2014
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 6453
Abstract
Transport of young (‘bobby’) calves for slaughter is a contentious welfare issue for some sectors of the Australian community. Factors of age, stocking density and flooring need further research to develop appropriate welfare standards for transport of bobby calves. The objective of this [...] Read more.
Transport of young (‘bobby’) calves for slaughter is a contentious welfare issue for some sectors of the Australian community. Factors of age, stocking density and flooring need further research to develop appropriate welfare standards for transport of bobby calves. The objective of this study was to identify the space allowance requirements for transport of bobby calves and to understand factors such as age and flooring that minimise risks to calf welfare during transport. Animals aged 3-, 5- and 10-day old were transported for 12 h in a custom-made cattle truck fitted with 9 pens, with movable mesh divisions. Each pen contained 4 calves, with space allowances of 0.2, 0.3 and 0.5 m2 per calf and flooring of solid metal, mesh or straw bedding. A total of 432 male dairy calves were transported in 12 trips during the 2-year study. Behavioural measurements included lying during transport, and lying and drinking for 12 h after transport during recovery. Blood samples were taken prior to transport, immediately after transport and 12 h after transport. Blood samples were analysed for metabolic state (glucose, beta-hydroxy-butyrate (BOHB)), hydration (packed cell volume (PCV)) and exhaustion/bruising (creatine kinase (CK) activity). It was found that several measures were affected by age, which indicates that the physiology and in particular lying behaviour of 3-day old calves is fundamentally different from that of older calves. It is unclear how this affects their ability to cope with the stressors of transport. Space affected the posture changes and CK activity during and after transport and it is concluded that space allowance should be at least 0.3 m2 per calf for calves of average size, while CK activity suggested that providing more space to 0.5 m2 per calf may provide even greater benefits. Straw bedding is of clear benefit to calves during transport, to the extent that it may even reduce some of the negative effects of reduced space on lying behaviour. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Long Distance Transport of Animals)
108 KiB  
Article
Characteristics of Loads of Cattle Stopping for Feed, Water and Rest during Long-Distance Transport in Canada
by Hannah E. Flint, Karen S. Schwartzkopf-Genswein, Ken G. Bateman and Derek B. Haley
Animals 2014, 4(1), 62-81; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani4010062 - 05 Mar 2014
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 6910
Abstract
This study is the first comprehensive examination of long-haul cattle being transported across Canada and off-loaded for feed, water and rest. A total of 129 truckloads were observed at one of two commercial rest stations near Thunder Bay, Ontario. Data collected included information [...] Read more.
This study is the first comprehensive examination of long-haul cattle being transported across Canada and off-loaded for feed, water and rest. A total of 129 truckloads were observed at one of two commercial rest stations near Thunder Bay, Ontario. Data collected included information regarding the truck driver, the trailer, the trip, the animals and animal handling. The majority of the loads stopping were feeder calves (60.94%) while 21.09% were weaned calves, and the remaining 14.84% were market weight cattle. The truck loads surveyed were in transit for, on average, 28.2 ± 5.0 hours before stopping and cattle were rested for an average of 11.2 ± 2.8 hours. These data suggest that loads stopping at the rest station were adhering to the regulations stated in the Health of Animals Act, which outline a maximum of 48 hours in transit before a mandatory stop of at least 5 hours for feed, water and rest. There was a large amount of variability around how well recommendations, such as stocking density were followed. Further research is required to assess how well cattle are coping with long-distance transport under current regulations and industry practices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Long Distance Transport of Animals)
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