Animal Health & Welfare

Careful stock handling can increase animal performance, health and welfare and increase labour efficiency.

As cattle are a prey species they show a marked response to the presence of "predators" such as people or dogs. This response manifests itself as an aversion to close contact and a large flight distance (the distance to which you can approach before the cow begins to move away). As such, insensitive handling can compromise the welfare of the cattle by placing them under greater stress than is necessary.

Trying to encourage cattle to move too quickly and the stress associated with this can significantly increase the risk of injury to both the handler and animals and can reduce animal performance. Research has also shown that harsh gestures designed to speed cattle movement tend to actually slow the animals, making the whole process less efficient, not more.

Handling stress can be minimised by:

• Approaching in full view of the cattle
• Using steady vocalisations, not loud or harsh vocalisations
• Minimising aggressive gestures
• Ensuring that the passageway is clear of obstacles and gates are fully open
• Allowing the cattle to move at a pace reasonable to them as this will ensure they can find good footing and avoid injury
• Avoiding hitting or pushing the cattle

Studies have shown that sensitive handling is associated with lower levels of lameness and improved production in the herd. Allowing cattle to move at their own pace prevents groups forming at bottle necks. Cattle which cannot clearly see the path ahead are more likely to tread on debris on trackways or passageways, increasing the risk of injury.

Information on the design of cattle handling facilities can be found under the beef welfare section of these pages or by using the 'related documents' and 'see also' links to the right.