Departmental changes to animal welfare standards in live export supply chains have had the unintended consequence of reducing animal health and performance outcomes, a “before and after” analysis by a large commercial operator indicates.

Australian cattle on feed at Berrimah. Pic: NTLEA

The analysis suggests that rule changes introduced by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in 2020 have led to increased handling and co-mingling of cattle which in turn has resulted in lower animal welfare outcomes across several categories.

The analysis is highlighted in a submission by Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC) to 4DAFF’s review of the Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock (ASEL) version 3.0, which has been published online.

ASEL sets the minimum animal health and welfare standards for livestock that must be met across all stages of the export supply chain.

New rules were introduced by the Department when it released ASEL version 3.0 in November 2020.

This included requirements that entire and castrated male cattle must be separated, that cattle be drafted and penned in tighter weight ranges, and horn length be no longer than 12cm at the time of export, unless otherwise provided in a long-horned livestock management plan.

Some exporters raised concerns the new rules would be detrimental to  animal welfare outcomes because they would require increased handling and co-mingling of cattle and did not recognise the importance of penning cattle according to prior groups they had run with.

An analysis by CPC has compared the performance and health outcomes of close to 100,000 cattle handled through its export supply chains before the new rules were introduced with a similar number of cattle exported after the rules were in place.

“It was apparent from our results that overhandling and comingling of cattle prior to export under the ASEL preparation and penning requirements had a large negative impact on the health and welfare of significant numbers of cattle,” CPC Troy Setter told Beef Central last week when asked about the results in CPC’s published submission.

“For many decades published research has shown that co-mingling of livestock causes increase stress, disease and injuries.

“Global and Australian feedlots, meat processors and live exporters for decades have done all they can to keep livestock in their farm and feeding groups to maximise animal welfare and meat quality outcomes.”

The analysis revealed an A$8.15 million economic impact through lost performance, animal health incidences and increased mortalities over the 2.5 year period after ASEL v3.0 came into effect.

Over the same period CPC’s feedlot also experienced increased emergency slaughters of 8pc and increased mortalities of 107pc.

Analysis of the ‘relative risk’ of cattle and buffalo developing an illness under the penning requirements for ASEL v3.0 concluded that animal health incidences were 2.3 times more likely to occur, respiratory illness was 3.8 times more likely to occur and lameness was 2.1 times more likely to occur.

The submission said the reduction in cattle health, welfare and performance had been attributed to key three factors:

Overhandling and co-mingling: Animals experience increased cortisol levels that leads to immunosuppression, reduced feed intake and inflammation after experiencing multiple stressful events.

Co-mingling: Social hierarchies have to be reestablished within animal groups resulting in bullying, headbutting and fighting, and;

Mixing animals has impacts on herd immunity and increases risk of infectious diseases of previously unexposed animals

Mr Setter said the results were consistent with a global literature review conducted by Bovine Dynamics on the effects that co-mingling has on cattle health and welfare.

The Bovine Dynamics review concluded that cattle are a social species that have hierarchies within groups.

It notes that when cattle are co-mingled (mixed into new groups of cattle from different source mobs) it creates psychological stress by disrupting the social hierarchy of the cattle.

Furthermore, mixing animals increased the risk of infectious diseases being passed onto to other cattle that have not had previous exposure.

“Often to reestablish the social hierarchy in a group of cattle, aggressive behaviour occurs, which can cause displacement from the feed bunk or water trough, bullying, headbutting and fighting

“Co-mingling can also cause an increase in cortisol levels, which over an extended period leads to immune suppression, reduced feed intake and inflammation

“Chronic immunosuppression comprises delete compromises an animal’s ability to defend against pathogens and therefore significantly increases the risk of viruses such as bovine respiratory disease. BRD is the most prominent health issue faced by live exporters and feedlots and it has been found to be the most common cause of death on long haul live export voyages.”

The CPC submission recommended that the regulator update its framework on penning requirements to allow entire and castrated males to be penned together, and for weight ranges from ASEL version 2.3 section 4.11 to be restored.

The previous version of ASEL allowed cattle below 500kg to be penned within 75kg of the average, and for any cattle heavier than 500kg to be penned within weight ranges of 100kg from the average.

This would allow for more cattle form the same source location to be penned together and to decrease drafting of cattle and would increase animal health, welfare and performance, the CPC submission said.

It also recommended that the horn length allowance of 12cm be revised to 16cm.

“These changes to ASEL would reduce stress, animal health incidences and increase the performance of the cattle on board vessel and in the feedlot,” the CPC submission stated.

Penning requirements ‘priority matter’: DAFF

In response to questions from Beef Central about the CPC analysis, the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said the Department is undertaking further reviews into the penning requirements of immature bulls and steers as a priority matter.

“The department is committed to undertaking regular, consultative, science and evidence-based, user-centric reviews of Australian Standards for the Export of Livestock (ASEL) to ensure the standards reflect the latest science, evidence and best practice,” a departmental spokesperson said.

“The next ASEL review (4.0) has commenced and is planned to be completed in late 2026.

“The penning requirements of immature bulls and steers has been identified by stakeholders as a priority matter and is currently being reviewed as part of the ASEL 4.0 review process to determine if changes to the standards are required.

“Department officers have been and will continue to engage in targeted consultation with stakeholders who have raised this matter, including the Consolidated Pastoral Company.”