Review of mark 3 and development of mark 4 cattle restraining box

Summary

This project was initially undertaken to technically review the design of the Mark 3 cattle restraining box before building and testing the Mark 3 prototype. The review of Mark 3 design, and subsequent assessment of functioning restraining boxes in Indonesia, indicated that either further design modifications were required or a new design concept undertaken. Following consultation a decision was made to design, build and test a new Mark 4 restraining box. The Mark 4 design allows cattle to be squeezed and rotated 90 degrees onto their side. This reduces excessive handling of cattle prior to slaughter and slaughter times. It also improves animal welfare outcomes as cattle do not fall to a lying position.
The Mark 4 restraining box design allows for easy conversion between manual and automatic versions. Both versions use a scissor frame squeeze and rollover crush. The manual version uses a load binder strap system to squeeze the animal onto the side of the restraining table and a hydraulic hand pump jack system to roll the animal onto its side. The automatic version uses an external power source and hydraulics to operate both the squeeze and rollover. A version of the manual Mark 4 slaughter box has been installed and tested in an Indonesian abattoir. Feedback on its operation has led to some minor amendments to the design. These have been incorporated in the drawings submitted in this report. It is envisaged that further testing and modifications to the Mark 4 design may be necessary as the Mark 4 design is rolled out in both SE Asian and Middle East destinations.