28/02/2025
Stocking density can potentially impact cattle welfare during livestock export voyages.
The has been the focus of a recent study conducted as part of a Project Partnership between the Livestock Export RD&E Program and the University of New England.
This study evaluated some key welfare indicators in cattle housed at three different stocking densities (space allowance per animal) which are relevant to short haul voyages from Australia to Vietnam. The research examined behavioural and physiological responses of the cattle. Housed in land-based, indoor pens in groups of five per pen, 60 steers were monitored for ten days under controlled conditions while being fed the same diet they would receive on a livestock export ship.
The results of this study have now been published in the Journal of Animal Science.
The study found that stocking density had no major impact on the indicators of welfare that were assessed under the controlled, experimental conditions. On average, there were no important impacts on hormonal indicators of stress, liveweight, or physiological health indicators (white blood cell counts). While some behavioural variations were observed, all stocking densities tested enabled normal lying behaviours at the group level. These findings suggest that current space allowances for cattle on short-haul voyages are sufficient.
Stocking density had no important effect on liveweight. Despite some behavioural differences, cattle housed at higher stocking densities did not experience weight loss on average, indicating that space limitations did not substantially impact feed intake under the experimental conditions.
Stocking density influenced some lying behaviours. Cattle in pens with more space were slightly more likely to lie separately rather than in contact with other animals. However, given that there was no substantial impact on the physiological or stress indicators on average, this implies that it had no important impact on overall welfare, at least for the measures included in the study. Additionally, the number of aggressive interactions did not vary notably across stocking densities.
Physiological indicators of stress, including faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations and white blood cell counts, did not vary substantially between stocking densities. White blood cell counts, lymphocyte and neutrophil levels, and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, were all within normal ranges for cattle. The lack of important variation across stocking densities further supports the conclusion that the space constraints assessed did not negatively impact physiological health under the experimental conditions of this study.