The livestock export industry has introduced a virtual reality (VR) training tool as the latest innovation in its support for animal welfare training in Indonesian and Vietnamese abattoirs.

Australian regulations require animal welfare standards to be met from the farm gate right to the point of slaughter overseas.

The industry develops, delivers and supports training programs in destination countries to drive ongoing improvement, with more than 3,000 participants in Indonesia alone in 2023.

The new training tool uses a modern headset and hand-held controllers to provide an interactive, engaging and highly realistic virtual environment to allow abattoir staff to learn best practice techniques in stunning cattle and gain confidence before training with a live animal.

Recent demonstrations of the virtual tool have generated significant interest from in-market exporter staff, animal welfare officers, abattoirs and universities, and it has been tested at several training courses with more than 100 users.

The project has been funded by the Livestock Export Research and Development Program, which is jointly funded by LiveCorp and Meat & Livestock Australia.

LiveCorp CEO Wayne Collier says the presence of Australian exporters in Indonesia and Vietnam has allowed conversations on animal welfare over many years, that would not otherwise have happened.

“One of the outcomes is the significant use of pre-slaughter stunning, as well as improved animal handling and slaughter practices generally,” Mr Collier said.

“In Indonesia, for instance, more than 90 percent of the abattoirs processing Australian-bred cattle are using stunning, while Vietnam recently introduced animal welfare standards that promote stunning as best practice for local as well as Australian-bred cattle.

“Some abattoirs only process a few animals a day, so finding opportunities for training can be challenging. The VR training tool can be used for new staff, as well as checking and refining techniques for existing staff.

“From discussions during the demonstrations, it also has the potential to extend the industry’s animal welfare influence well beyond live export supply chains, including into universities teaching veterinary science.”

The VR tool includes safety information and step-by-step instructions on preparing and using the stunning equipment, allowing participants to view the process as often as they want before they test their skills.

The users’ perspective can be mirrored on an external screen, allowing trainers to review and provide additional support.

One of the demonstrations was to Forum AWO; a collective of animal welfare officers from Indonesian feedlots and abattoirs which receive Australian-bred cattle.

Forum AWO Chair, Pak Ismail Alim, was impressed by the VR training tool.

“This training system will give us the ability to familiarise trainees with the principles of effective stunning practices without the necessity of involving live animals.

This makes it a very accessible and versatile tool for us to use as part of our training programs.”

Trials are underway in Vietnam to collect data on the performance of abattoir trainees using the VR headset, to assess its efficacy in improving stunning accuracy compared to conventional training methods.

The insights from showcasing the tool to a diverse range of stakeholders will guide further refinements to maximise its relevance and effectiveness.

• Source: LiveCorp. Visitors to Beef 2024 next will be able to try out the VR headset for themselves at the LiveCorp and Australian Livestock Exporters Council stand at site W5 in the Walter Pierce Pavillion.