Guide to good practices for the Transport of cattle 2017 For more information: www.animaltransportguides.eu Acknowledgements Citation Please refer to this document as: Consortium of the Animal Transport Guides Project (2017). ‘Guide to good practices for the transport of cattle’ Correspondence Any correspondence relating to this project should be sent by e-mail to: [email protected] DISCLAIMER The positions expressed in this report do not necessarily represent in legal terms the official position of the European Commission. Page | 2 Contents 0. Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 5 0.1 Approach and Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... 5 0.2 Aim of this Guide ................................................................................................................................ 8 0.3 Main welfare risks during cattle transport ......................................................................................... 8 0.5 Structure of the guide ...................................................................................................................... 11 0.6 List of definitions .............................................................................................................................. 12 1. Administrative issues ...................................................................................................................... 14 1.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 14 1.2 Administration .................................................................................................................................. 15 1.3 Competence and training ................................................................................................................. 16 1.4 Responsibilities ................................................................................................................................. 17 2. Journey planning and preparation ................................................................................................. 19 2.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 19 2.2 Planning the journey ........................................................................................................................ 19 2.2.1 Journey duration .................................................................................................................... 20 2.2.2 Contingency plans ................................................................................................................... 21 2.3 Means of transport ........................................................................................................................... 25 2.3.1 Vehicle design and maintenance .................................................................................................... 26 2.3.2 Space allowance ..................................................................................................................... 28 2.3.3 Vehicle floor and bedding ........................................................................................................... 30 2.3.4 Monitoring of transport environments during long journeys ...................................................................... 30 2.4 Animal related preparation .............................................................................................................. 31 2.4.1 Preparation of animals and equipment ............................................................................................. 32 2.4.2 Fitness for travel ..................................................................................................................... 33 3. Handling and loading ...................................................................................................................... 37 Page | 3 3.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 37 3.2 Loading facilities ............................................................................................................................... 37 3.3 Handling during loading ................................................................................................................... 39 4. Travelling ........................................................................................................................................ 44 4.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 44 4.2 Driving .............................................................................................................................................. 44 4.3 Climate control ................................................................................................................................. 46 4.4 Water and feed intervals .................................................................................................................. 49 4.5 Care of sick or injured animals ......................................................................................................... 51 4.6 Emergencies ..................................................................................................................................... 52 5. Unloading ....................................................................................................................................... 54 5.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 54 5.2 Layout of the unloading area............................................................................................................ 54 5.3 Operating procedure ........................................................................................................................ 56 5.4 Care of animals at unloading ............................................................................................................ 57 5.5 Cleaning and disinfection of vehicles after unloading ...................................................................... 57 6. Stay at control posts, markets and assembly centres .................................................................... 59 6.1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 59 6.2 Housing ............................................................................................................................................ 60 6.3 Feeding and watering ....................................................................................................................... 62 6.4 Biosecurity, cleaning and disinfection .............................................................................................. 63 6.5 Emergency ........................................................................................................................................ 66 References.............................................................................................................................................. 68 Page | 4 0000.... IIIInnnnttttrrrroooodddduuuuccccttttiiiioooonnnn Since 1991, the EU has provided a common legal framework on animal transport which was then updated by Regulation (EC) 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport, hereafter referred to as ‘the Regulation’. It came into effect on the 1st of January 2007, and aims to provide a level playing field for operators while ensuring sufficient protection for the animals being transported. The content and impact of the Regulation has been the subject of a Scientific Opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA, 2011), followed in 2011 by an impact report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council (Anon., 2011). In this report, three key recommendations were formulated: 1. The Regulation has had beneficial impact on the welfare of animals during transport, but there is room for improvement of the situation; 2. An amendment of the Regulation is not the most appropriate approach to address the identified problems; 3. As regards the gap between the requirements of the legislation and available scientific evidence the Commission sees that this is best addressed by the adoption of guides to good practice. The European Commission has welcomed the production of “clear and simple guidelines to assess the fitness for transport” prepared by stakeholder groups for bovines in 2012, and equidae and pigs in 2016. It was then considered important to extend this approach to address all aspects of the welfare of livestock during transportation. 0000....1111 AAAApppppppprrrrooooaaaacccchhhh aaaannnndddd AAAAcccckkkknnnnoooowwwwlllleeeeddddggggeeeemmmmeeeennnnttttssss This Guide has been produced within the framework of the Animal Transport Guides project, commissioned by DG SANTE under contract SANCO/2015/G3/SI2.701422. The project started on the 10th of May 2015, and its main aim was to develop and disseminate good and better practices for the transportation of livestock. The foundation for this Guide was laid in the first project year, through an extensive literature search and resulting overview of a substantial number of available practices. These overviews of suggested practices can be found on the Animal Transport Guides website: http://animaltransportguides.eu/. There is one report for each of five livestock species (pigs, poultry, horses, sheep and cattle). In the second year, these very broad and diverse lists were discussed and largely rewritten, to develop the present five Guides to Good Practices. This involved an intensive process of stakeholder consultation. The first step in moving from the collection of practices to a draft Guide of Good Practices was taken at member state level. Teams consisting of academic partners from two countries per species (the ‘Duo Countries’) took the lead. (cid:1) Sheep: Spain and Romania (cid:1) Poultry: Greece and France (cid:1) Pigs: Italy and France (cid:1) Horses: Italy and the Netherlands (cid:1) Cattle: United Kingdom and France Page | 5 The academic partners identified practices that are at the level of current EU legislation (‘Good Practices’) and practices that are aspiring more (‘Better Practices beyond EU legislation’, or simply ‘Better Practices’). The partners then proceeded to ask national stakeholder groups in their own countries to reflect on these suggestions for good and better practices. To support this process and work towards consensus, an iterative Delphi procedure of anonymised input collection was used. Well over 100 stakeholders were involved in this step, representing a variety of backgrounds. The largest number of stakeholders indicated they were farmers (19 individuals), transporters (27), slaughterhouse personnel (13), NGOs (12) and competent authorities (27). Representatives from animal trade, academia and vehicle manufacturers also took part in this consultation process. All discussions were carried out in the national language of the member state involved. The final results of this Delphi procedure were five “Draft Guides to Good Practice”. These were not published, but used as the basis for the final Guides. The final Guides for each of the five livestock species were developed through a second round of consensus building at European level, with the help of ‘Focus Groups’. These focus groups had an international basis: the delegates were asked to represent knowledge, experience and opinions beyond those of their own country. Table 0.1 below shows the composition of these five focus groups. Table 0.1 Composition of international Focus Groups, involved in the production of the final Guides to Good Practice. The numbers indicate the number of representatives per stakeholder category. Sheep Poultry Pigs Horses Cattle Total Farmers 3 5 3 1 12 Vehicle 2 2 manufacturers Animal traders 1 2 3 Transporters 3 2 3 5 13 Slaughter- 2 5 1 8 houses Official 2 1 2 2 7 veterinarians Animal 2 3 2 2 2 11 scientists Animal welfare 2 3 2 4 5 16 organisations Total 10 21 12 13 16 72 Page | 6 A first series of meetings of the five focus groups was organised at the end of May 2016. During these meetings, the draft guides were presented by the academic partners. A road map to turn the draft guides into the current final versions was then agreed with the stakeholders. All focus groups held subsequent meetings in Brussels, to discuss and reach consensus on the wording of each single practice to be included in the final Guides. Different species groups had different numbers of meetings, and the last ones were held in March 2017. To support and help guide the process of writing, the Animal Transport Guides project team set up a ‘Stakeholder Platform’. This group of people provided advice throughout the first two years of the project on how to tackle issues that affect all five species guides. The Platform was composed of representatives from 13 international organisations or stakeholder groups: the International Road transport Union (IRU), the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE), Eurogroup for Animals, Copa-Cogeca, Association of Poultry Processors and Poultry Trade (AVEC), the German Breeders Organisation (ADT), Eyes on Animals, the Irish Ministry of Agriculture, vehicle manufacturer Pezzaioli, Union Européenne du Commerce du Bétail et des Métiers de la Viande (UECBV), European Forum of Farm Animal Breeders (EFFAB), the German Transporters Organisation (BDT), and the Greek Ministry of Agriculture. The Platform met 5 times in Brussels over two years. As part of the development of the five Guides, the species Focus Groups and the Stakeholder Platform choose 17 topic areas which deserved extra attention. The practices in these areas were collected in 17 so called ‘Fact Sheets’, aiming to summarise and illustrate in an accessible way the most critical aspects of the journey or the most vulnerable categories of animals. Linked to the present Cattle protocol, 4 Fact Sheets were produced: Transport of lactating cows, Long Distance Transport, Loading and Unloading and Transport of Calves These four, and those related to the other Guides, are published in eight European languages. The target audience for the fact sheets are farmers, drivers, local veterinarians and abattoir staff. The target audience for the Guides to Good Practice are transport organisers, competent authorities and policy makers. The Guides and the Fact Sheets can all be found on the project’s website: http://animaltransportguides.eu/. The development of the Fact Sheets and the Guides would not have been possible without the highly constructive discussions at national and international level with the many stakeholders mentioned above. Their help with this process was essential, and the authors are grateful for the time and knowledge they contributed to the writing of the Guides. Page | 7 0000....2222 AAAAiiiimmmm ooooffff tttthhhhiiiissss GGGGuuuuiiiiddddeeee The present Guide to Good Practice aims to improve the welfare of animals during transportation by providing practical tools to meet the requirements of the Regulation and to suggest practices which go beyond legislation. Transport is a stressful situation for animals. This guide lists practices that aim to support entrepreneurs in increasing the quality of the transport of animals in accordance with the Regulation, thus limiting stress to animals and promote animal welfare. The practices in this guide are based on scientific knowledge, scientific literature, experiences and information from stakeholders. No distinction is made by source, unless this is regarded as relevant for better understanding or checking of the background. They can be used to develop company specific guidelines or Standard Operating Procedures for transporters and other stakeholders, or as a reference source for dealing with aspects of transportation in a way which is practical and that supports animal welfare. This document is not of legally binding nature and does not affect the requirements of the EU legislation on animal transport or other relevant pieces of legislation. Nor does it commit the European Commission. Only the Court of Justice of the European Union is competent to authoritatively interpret Union law. The reader is therefore invited to consult this guide in connection with the relevant provisions of the legislation and refer, when necessary, to the relevant competent authorities. 0000....3333 MMMMaaaaiiiinnnn wwwweeeellllffffaaaarrrreeee rrrriiiisssskkkkssss dddduuuurrrriiiinnnngggg ccccaaaattttttttlllleeee ttttrrrraaaannnnssssppppoooorrrrtttt Transport involves several potential stressors that can affect animal welfare negatively. The new and unfamiliar environment, movement restrictions due to confinement, vibrations, sudden and unusual noises, animal fitness, mixing with other animals, temperature and humidity variations together with inadequate ventilation and often feed and water restrictions all have an impact on the animals’ state. The effects of all these factors on livestock are influenced by the experience and condition of the animals, the nature of the journey, and the duration of transport. Long journeys have been identified as being potentially more detrimental to the general welfare status of the animals, because of the longer duration of exposure to the stressors mentioned above. Therefore, it is clear that stressful journeys including hostile transport environments or conditions may influence animal health and welfare negatively. This has an impact upon productivity and profitability through changes in animal body weight, hydration state and meat quality in slaughter animals. Poor and erratic driving may impose forces in the animals which increase the risk of impacts and injuries and through postural instability will predispose animals to fatigue particularly on long journeys 4.2 Driving. Inadequate consideration of altering space allowance / head room in response to a range Page | 8 of factors may also pose risks 2.3.2 Space allowance. Weather and thermal conditions should be considered and space should be adjusted to minimise the risk of thermal stress 2.3.4 Monitoring of transport environments during long journeys . In this light, transportation of horned and pregnant animals also requires additional space above the minimum standards required under the Regulation. Transportation of young calves (particularly on long journeys) imposes specific challenges. In particular feeding and watering in compliance with the Regulation is often very difficult to achieve as calves will not use the equipment provided. Calves can only be successfully fed and watered (or provided with milk/substitute/electrolytes) after unloading and this should take place at a control post, market or assembly centre 6.3 Feeding and watering. This problem will impact upon journey times permitted (19 hours) under the Regulation as young calves have to be provided with feed/water after as little as 8-9 hours. Another important practical consideration and a significant risk to welfare is the scheduling of milking of lactating cattle when transported. It is essential to ensure that facilities and personnel are available at the relevant times and locations during a properly planned journey (e.g. immediately upon arrival at the final destination or intermediate port) to avoid delays in milking 2.2 Planning the journey. Significant stress may be associated with loading or to handling prior to loading 3.3 Handling during loading also considering that animals may have undergone periods of water or feed deprivation prior to loading and transport. Journey times are frequently extended due to traffic congestion and this may compound welfare impacts during times of extreme temperatures 2.2.2 Contingency plans. International and intra-community trade involving prolonged journeys, especially those requiring movement over water may result in specific additional welfare challenges in conditions of transport (e.g. if by boat or, less commonly, air) and disease risk. Familiarity of cattle within a group, sympathetic handling at loading and unloading, shorter journey times, consideration of space allowance and careful driving appear to reduce the risk of poor welfare and injury during transportation. Transporting horned animals increases the risk of injury to other stock being transported. The present guide has been structured to allow consideration of these points and issues and to address them in the context of the six recognised stages of the journey. Page | 9 0.4 Animal based measures The ultimate aim of providing the right conditions during driving should be to provide good welfare, so that the animals are healthy and fit when they come off the truck at the destination. The current legislation, existing guidelines on Fitness to Travel (Eurogroup for Animals et al., 2012), most quality assurance schemes and also the present guides offer many suggestions on what these conditions should be. They advise for instance on space allowances, frequency and duration of resting and the feed and water requirements of the animals. This advice is based on years of experience or thorough research which has identified the welfare risks associated with deviations from this advice: if space allowances are too low, animals may not get access to water, may get more easily injured, and may not be able to rest; if they do not rest enough, they will become exhausted, with detrimental effects for welfare and meat quality; etc. It is important to realise that recommendations based on ‘conditions’ (the resources on the truck or the handling and animal management by operators) do not necessarily guarantee good welfare: they merely offer advice to maximise the chance that the welfare of the animal will be good. The effect conditions have on the actual welfare status is influenced by other factors, as many of the (recommended) conditions are interacting with each other. Obvious examples are the interactive effects of a wet coat, and ambient temperature: if it is too hot then sprinkling may be desirable, but if it is freezing then you want to keep your animals dry. Another example is the relationship between the driving conditions and the length of the journey: following a rough journey, the benefits of resting the animals outside the vehicle outweigh the stress of offloading. However, if the journey has been smooth and on board conditions optimal, the benefits of offloading will be much lower and in some cases it may even be better to leave the animals on the truck. Given these limitations of management and resource related practices, it is obvious that animal based measures can be a useful monitoring tool to help business operators to ensure welfare and, if necessary, take the appropriate corrective actions. Animal based measures (ABMs), such as injuries, panting, shivering, body and skin conditions, can be interpreted as direct indicators of animal welfare. The use of ABMs during live animal transport is not as novel and innovative as it may sound. Such indicators were included in tools for transporters for a long time and good professional drivers and keepers already base their actions on the ‘signals’ they get from the animals they work with. During routine checks they will not (just) look at the temperature gauge to see if ventilation is adequate: they will look at the animals for signs of panting or shivering. They don’t judge tiredness by the length of the journey, but by looking at animal posture and resting behaviour. Animal Based Measures can be of use before, during and after a journey. They can be used during routine checks to assess how the transport is going, and if action is necessary to improve animal welfare. They can also be used after a journey, when animals are unloaded, to know how the animals have experienced the transportation. Knowing this will help the transporter (and others who handle the animals) to improve the conditions during the next journey with a different consignment. Table 0.2 To achieve the objective of ‘good’ transport regarding the welfare of bovines, the following ABMs could be used in monitoring tools. Page | 10