Beef Cattle Research Update

Factors Affecting Cattle during Long-Haul Transport in North America Canadian researchers identified and quantified several factors affecting weight loss (shrink) and animal welfare in cattle during commercial long-haul transport (≥ 249 miles). This study documented current commercial practices in Alberta, Canada through surveys delivered to truck drives (6,152 journeys transporting 290,886 animals). In this survey, 89% of the journeys were cattle transported to the United States. Most drivers had either limited (31% with < 2 years) or extensive (35% > 10 years) experience hauling cattle. The average distance travelled was 672 miles (maximum of 1,591 miles). The time animals spent on truck averaged 15.9 hours with a maximum of 45 hours. However, only 5% of all journeys were greater than 30 hours. The most frequent cause of delay was at the Canada-United States border crossing due to paperwork and veterinary inspections. Border delays occurred on 77% of all journeys (averaged 1.3 hours). A total of 35.6% of all journeys occurred in the summer, 37.6% in fall, 17.3% in winter, and 9.5% in spring. Ambient temperature reported for all journeys ranged from −44 to 113°F with a mean value of 64°F. However, only 21.5% of all journeys experienced maximum temperatures equal to or greater than 86°F and 1.3% equal to or greater than 104°F. These high temperatures were reported during journeys traveling south during summer months. Temperature range within a journey indicated that animals could experience as much as a 115°F of difference in temperature due to the diverse environments from the north to the south. However, temperature ranges greater than 86°F occurred in only 2% of all journeys. In addition, average temperature of the journey during the coldest month (January) was 23°F and 73°F during the hottest (July).