02/06/2025
This article first appeared in the Winter 2025 edition of Meat & Livestock Australia's Feedback magazine.
The livestock export industry has successfully trialled rubber matting as an innovative solution to improve animal welfare.
The project, which included the first-ever research trials of the product involving sheep, successfully eliminated slips and major falls in pre-export facilities as well as on board a ship.
Agri-consultant Carl Archer, from provider NumatAGRI, sees a lot of benefit for the sheep industry, as this aspect of the trials generated significant interest among producers.
Numat rubber mats are already widely used in equine facilities and on dairy farms and cattle feedlots across Australia.
“These trials have confirmed they aren’t just for cattle — they’re also highly effective in sheep facilities,” Carl said.
“By reducing the risk of slips and falls, the mats provide a valuable improvement for animal welfare across various livestock industries.”
The project is part of the Livestock Export Program’s (LEP) open innovation approach to research. By leveraging solutions from other industries, this explores how existing technologies can be adapted to meet the needs of the livestock export sector. The LEP is a collaboration between MLA and LiveCorp.
In the latest trials, seven different rubber matting concepts were installed in WA, including in ramps and corridors at pre-export quarantine facilities, as well as on a livestock export ship.
Benefits of rubber matting
The matting provides superior grip compared to current materials such as wood shavings, stamped concrete and steel mesh, enhancing animal welfare during transit and when moving through yards.
The results showed that all mat types effectively prevented slips and major falls in both cattle and sheep.
For sheep, all mat types eliminated falls entirely, with five of the seven types also preventing slipping incidents, while the remaining two reduced slips by 96%. A single mat type was tested for cattle, successfully eliminating falls and reducing slips by 99%.
Several key factors beyond slips and falls were also evaluated – and the results were promising.
These included:
ease of installation and cleaning, emphasising the need for quick set-up and removal to maintain hygiene standards
stability, as preventing the mats from shifting over time will ensure consistent performance.
The success of the Australian-based trials has gained international interest, with the mats being further trialled in Indonesia on a discharge ramp at Lampung port, inside a cattle truck and at a feedlot loading ramp.
A step forward for welfare and efficiency
By adopting technologies proven in other industries, the livestock export industry continues to demonstrate its commitment to innovation and animal welfare.
The success of these rubber matting trials is a testament to the value of cross-sector collaboration and could pave the way for wider adoption of these solutions across livestock and red meat industries.