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Transporting feedlot finished cattle

  • It is important for lot feeders to follow the fit to load principles.
  • First and foremost, taking care of animals is paramount to our entire industry when loading and transporting.
  • Correctly preparing livestock for transport is a vital part of any journey. Well prepared animals travel better, are less stressed and animal welfare issues are less likely to occur.
  • On top of this, good preparation optimises the quality of the carcase and retail beef cuts. Remember to consult with your veterinarian if you have doubts over an animal’s fitness to travel.
  • Veterinary certified animals are loaded and bedded in the back pen on the bottom deck.

Carting heavy cattle – special considerations

When transporting extra heavy, long-fed feedlot cattle (800kg+) in finished slaughter condition:

  • Pay cattle special care during transport, particularly for extended journey lengths in warmer weather.
  • Heavier cattle tend to tire more quickly than lighter animals and need to be checked more frequently, particularly for journeys over six hours.
  • Cattle may lie down to rest if they have room and are not in serious danger of injury as long as they are resting on their belly and not their side.
  • Stand cattle up immediately if on their side.
  • Cattle may lay down to rest for short periods during driver rest stops.
  • Cattle should not be left laying down in the crate for over two hours, or they may experience circulation and muscular problems and subsequently have difficulty standing back up.

 

Signpost:

Instructions on accessing Feedlot TECH training resources:

To access Feedlot TECH training resources you will need to be registered. 

  • If you don’t have an existing account to sign in, click on Register now in the top right-hand corner of the screen to create an account which you can then use to sign in at your convenience. 
  • Type in your email and create your own password and submit at the base of the page. 
  • You’ll then receive a confirmation email that you click on to confirm your account.
  • This will take you to the Feedlot TECH webpage where you will need to complete your profile before going any further. 
  • There are a series of mandatory fields to complete on this page. You’ll enter your name, contact phone number and you’ll be prompted for your Lot Feeding Affiliation in a drop down menu. Select whichever is most relevant to you. Choosing ‘other’ is fine. 
  • The next field will ask for your NFAS or Group number. Enter 2059.
  • The next field asks for ‘Feedlot, Company Name or School/University’. Enter NA if none apply.
  • Continue to enter your details in the remaining fields – address, age, current role, current area/department etc. and click on the green save button at the base of the page.
  • This will complete your profile setup and you’ll be able to access most of the Feedlot TECH training resources. 
  • If you click on Catalogue on the top menu bar and select ‘Livestock’ in the filter box, you’ll see a list of the Livestock Handling modules.
  • The relevant module for transport is number 5. 
  • Once you’re logged in, you can click on this link: Livestock Handling - 5. Animal Wellbeing for Transport. 
  • The other useful module is Livestock Handling - 6. Chain of Responsibility.

About the Feedlot TECH course

This online course covers the basics in assessing the fitness of the animal for the journey, determining marginal cattle needing further assessment and understanding the challenges of all parties when cattle are not fit for the journey. After completion of the online training, an on-the-ground competency assessment is available so you can demonstrate your skills and competency in this area.

This e-learning series has been by funded grainfed levies and matching federal government R&D contributions in consultation with the Australian Lot Feeders’ Association.