Animal Welfare Essay

Welfare of beef cattle from farm through to slaughtering.

Name: Eimear Fitzgerald. Student No: (R00110000)

When one is involved in any production process particularly one in which the final product is for human consumption as is the case with this, the welfare of the animal is paramount throughout the process from the farm itself all the way through to the abattoir where the animal is culled and processed for human consumption. Compliance of legislation is necessary for the National Beef Assurance scheme. This is very important for the famer as many processing companies will only deal with beef that originates from these assured farms. The welfare of the animal during this whole process is quite extensive and as a result will not be

One act which plays an important role for the welfare of the animal is the “Protection of animals kept for farming proposes act 1984”. This act applies to animals which are kept for the production of food which is the case for beef cattle. It is required under S.I 13 (1984) that an animal has an adequate supply to food and water, correct housing as well as partaking in regular inspections of the animals and equipment used. The availability of water and its quality is extremely important (Fallon et al.). It is vital that that the water is not contaminated. Water troughs should be inspected regularly to ensure that they are clean and that there is an adequate flow even in times of increased usage such as hot summer days. It is also important that the water troughs are elevated from the ground due to the risk of contamination from surface run off from farm effluent during times of intense rainfall. It is recommended that the trough be 750mm high (Fallon et al). Sufficient feeding must also be

This regulation was called Council Regulation (EC) No 1/ 2005. It came into force in Ireland in January 5th 2007 under the Statutory Instrument No 675 of 2006. In Article 3 of this regulation it states the key welfare requirements of the animal “No person shall transport animals or cause animals to be transported in a way likely to cause injury or undue suffering to them”. Physiological and psychological stress encountered by the animal, in this case cattle, which is inevitable with any form of transportation has to be taken into account before attempting to transport them. Every possible attempt should be taken to ensure that the animal is as healthy and fit to travel at the beginning of the transportation period as well as ensuring that this stable condition will remain throughout them trip. This is particularly important when the animals are being transported to the abattoir as animals need to be in good health and clean in order to pass the initial checks preceding slaughter. Prior to commencement of travel as well as during travel welfare assessment should be completed to ensure that the animals are in a fit state to travel and continue travelling. This assessment is generally relied on past experience, however if the person transporting the animals is unsure then it would be their responsibility to contact a veterinary practitioner to