Transporting Stock

Preparing stock for transport:

• Step 1: 3 to 4 days before travel

  1. Are stock fit for transport? See fit for transport guidelines and if unsure organise a veterinary inspection and certificate if needed.
  2. Complete planning for the journey. For long-haul journeys the planning should start several weeks ahead and include planning for drying cows off if lactating.
  3. Check with your transport company. Confirm the day and approximate time of collection, find out if they will be using multi-decked trucks and if so, are there any restrictions on the size of the animals. Ask if they use trucks with effluent collection tanks?
  4. Are stock classed as vulnerable? See the 'Transporting vulnerable stock' section below and note that the requirements from more than one category may apply.
  5. Provide cows with 12-20g per day of dietary magnesium for at least three days before and after transport. Drench or feed as a slurry or if dusting CausMag, allow 80-100g/cow/day. Calcium supplementation (usually lime flour) may be beneficial, especially for lactating cows.

• Step 2: 12 to 24 hours before travel

  1. Always allow access to water.
  2. Decide when and where to stand stock off green feed - a grazed out paddock or stand-off pad are good options (concrete surfaces damage and bruise soles and may lead to lameness).
  3. Stand stock off green feed for at least 4 hours (but for no more than 12 hours) - the length of time depends on class of livestock and duration of travel. Continue feeding silage, hay or straw during standing, especially prior to long-distance journeys.
  4. Continue magnesium and calcium supplementation
  5. Confirm pick up times and staging arrangements with transport company
  6. Check condition of loading ramps and yards.
  7. Complete Animal Status Declarations and assemble any veterinary certificates required.

• Step 3: Loading and departure

  1. Double check if stock meet fit for transport requirements (check against guidelines).
  2. Ensure all stock have access to water prior to loading.
  3. Help load stock – this will ensure they are loaded with minimum stress and maximum efficiency.
  4. Inform graziers or new owners if supplementary feeds have been used.

Transporting stock:

• Lactating

  Preparation:

  • Supplement with magnesium 3-4 days either side of transport
  • Provide calcium supplementation (lime flour), particularly if feeding cereal silage, maize silage or PKE.
  • If using supplementary feed, introduce it gradually over several days prior to journey
  • Milk prior to being loaded
  • Apply sufficient disinfectant spray to fully cover all teats
  • If going to slaughter send to the closest processing facility

  During journey:

  • If journey is longer than 12 hours water must be supplied
  • If journey is longer than 24 hours feed must be supplied
  • Milk at least once every 24 hours

• Last three months of pregnancy

  Preparation:

  • Supplement with magnesium 3-4 days either side of transport
  • Only transport cows that are not likely to give birth during the journey
  • If within 4 weeks of calving date, travel should be less than 2 hrs

  During journey:

  • Maximum journey time of 8 hrs
  • Rest periods of 12 hrs between every 8 hours of travel
  • Keep separate from other stock on truck
  • Transport on bottom deck, top deck only suitable if ramp slope is less than 20° (1:3)

• Cull Cows

  Preparation:

  • Organise for stock to be sent to closest processing facility, minimising transport time and distance.
  • Cull cattle with BCS of less than 3 should be sent direct to processor (not to saleyards), they may be sent for remedial feeding

  During journey:

  • If journey is longer than 12 hours water must be supplied
  • If journey is longer than 24 hours feed must be supplied

• Weaned heifer replacements

  Preparation:

  Individual animals

  • Transitioned onto a full pasture diet or supplement provided for transition
  • Mob average meets weight-for-age target, grazing
  • Lightest animal within 10% of mob average, assuming they are a similar breed

  Mobs

  • Fully weaned and off milk for at least two weeks
  • Competing in the mob
  • Meet minimum weight target
  • Drenched and vaccinated
  • In good health

• Unweaned calves

  Preparation:

  • Bobby calves must be at least 4 days old
  • Feed at least half of the daily ration within 2 hours of transport
  • Fit to travel – strong enough to withstand travel, healthy and free of disease and disability, alert and moving freely, navel dry, able to bear weight evenly on all four limbs, hooves hard
  • Ask for your calves to be transported to the nearest processor.

  During the journey:

  • Protect from adverse weather
  • Allow room for calves to lie down
  • Journey as short as possible

• Travelling for more than four hours

  Preparation:

  • Supplement with magnesium 3-4 days either side of transport
  • If using supplementary feed, introduce it gradually over several days prior to journey
  • Feed a moderately restricted diet for several days prior to journey

  During journey:

  • If journey is longer than 12 hours water must be supplied
  • If journey is longer than 24 hours feed must be supplied
  • Arrange feed etc to be at journey stages -cows must be conditioned to this feed prior to the journey

Check out the Ministry for Primary Industries Transporting Dairy Cows resource.

Standing Stock Before Transport

Keeping effluent off public roads is the responsibility of all people involved in transporting stock – the farmer, the stock broker or agent, the transport company, commercial destination points (Works and sale yards) and local and regional councils.  Even though most stock trucks are fitted with collection tanks, these can overflow very quickly especially in wet weather if animals are not stood before transport, or if not emptied often enough.

Make sure you stand stock off green feed, with water, for at least 4 hours before transport (but for no more than 12 hours). Depending on the scheduled collection time, preparation for the journey and journey length, you may want to stand them for longer (i.e. from the night before if pick up is very early in the morning).

Is Your Animal Fit For Transport?

The law takes animal welfare very seriously and has strict rules relating to animal transport and suffering.  The following information is designed to help you decide if an animal is fit for transport.

From the MPI Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare* : Minimum Standard 18 - Pre-transport Selection

1. The person in charge must examine the selected dairy cattle, prior to transport, to ensure that all animals are fit and healthy for transportation
2. All dairy cattle must be able to stand and bear weight on all four limbs and be fit enough to withstand the journey without suffering unreasonable or unnecessary pain or distress
3. Any animal likely to give birth during transport must not be selected.

Animals must not be transported if they display any injuries, signs of disease, abnormal behaviour or physical abnormalities that could compromise their welfare during the journey, unless a current veterinary certificate as to the fitness of the animal for transport is completed.

Animals with a BCS below 3 are subject to transport restrictions; click here to view examples of Friesian, Jersey and Crossbred cows with different BCSs.

• No signs of injury and sickness - what this means

  • Any injuries, wounds or other skin lesions should be healed and free from any discharges.
  • No mastitis, eg hot, swollen udders.
  • The animals are acting normally and are not lethargic or staggering.
  • There is nothing hanging out eg retained fetal membranes, prolapses.
  • Eyes are free from pink eye and discharges, and cancer eye lesions are confined to the eye.
  • Animals with horns should be transported separately if they are likely to injure other animals. Horns that are growing towards an animal's head and are touching the skin should be shortened more than 7 days before transport.
  • Animals must not have been dehorned or had any other painful husbandry procedure performed on them within 7 days of transport.

Transporting Stock To Slaughter

If you are sending stock to slaughter they are good to go if you can tick these off:

• BCS 3 or greater (BCS 2.5 to 3 can go direct to slaughter, but not to saleyards, BCS below 2.5 cannot be transported unless a veterinary certificate is provided)
• Outside milk and meat withholding times
• Animal Status Declaration prepared (including NAIT number from 1 July 2012)
• Off green feed (with water) for at least 4 hours prior to transport, but no longer than 12 hours
• All dairy cattle must be able to stand and bear weight on all 4 limbs and be fit enough to withstand the journey without suffering unreasonable or unnecessary painor distress.
• Not likely to give birth during the journey
• Milked just before transport or well dried off
• Cows have had magnesium for a few days prior to transport
• If travel time is longer than 4 hours refer to the Preparing Stock for Transport section above

All boxes ticked?  Then your stock are good to go - well done.

Key Publications:

• 

  Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare 2016

  Standards of care that must be achieved in order to meet the Animal Welfare Act 1999.

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• 

  Fit for Transport Guideline

  Use this guideline to help you determine if your animals are fit for transporting.

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• 

  Checklist for Transporting Cows

  Information about preparing stock for transport including creating a comfortable and safe journey, and ensuring cattle arrive at their destination in a fit and healthy state.

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