04/03/2024
New training is being rolled out to the accredited stockpersons (stockies) and veterinarians responsible for the daily monitoring of animal welfare on livestock export ships, as part of the industry’s commitment to maintaining high animal welfare standards and fostering continuous improvement.
Observations on a range of animal welfare indicators are collected every day by the stockies and vets and sent to the live export regulator as part of reporting requirements. One of the primary challenges with standardised data collection is the inherent subjectivity and nuances associated with these measures, and the training has been developed to clarify some of the grey areas and minimise inconsistencies.
The indicators were identified through years of industry research, and cover welfare principles such as appropriate behaviour, good feeding, health and housing.
Training modules are designed to standardise the process of making observations, including the time of day in some instances, and how the indicators are assessed against different scoring systems. This may be a simple yes or no, or a range like calm, moderate or rough for ‘sailing conditions’. Descriptions, photos and videos are used throughout, to illustrate the different options.
The collection of the data on vessels was enabled by LiveCorp spearheading the development of a reporting system in 2020 which has provided greater consistency in data collection. In turn, this has created opportunities for analysis and greater transparency, as well as enhancing management decisions and, therefore, overall animal welfare. The formal training in assessing animal welfare is the latest step in that process, funded through the industry’s research program.
The live export regulator (the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) was consulted in the development of the materials, and has confirmed the processes being covered, such as the timing of collection for some measures and the interpretation of reporting requirements.
Around 50 percent of fully accredited stockpersons participated in introductory webinars as part of the rollout, and self-paced online training modules now form a mandatory professional development milestone for all LiveCorp Accredited Stockpersons. While they have already been collecting the animal welfare data within the reporting framework, the aim is to further streamline the process and increase the standardisation and utility of the data for industry analysis.
Exporters’ operational staff already have access to the training platform, and going forward there’s potential for the training to be made available to other industry participants involved in collecting shipboard data, such as Independent Observers and researchers, so they understand the content and to further support consistency.