02/09/2024
This article first appeared in the spring 2024 edition of Meat & Livestock Australia's Feedback magazine.
An innovative virtual reality (VR) tool has been developed by the livestock export industry to support animal welfare training in Indonesian and Vietnamese abattoirs.
It provides staff with an immersive and life-like virtual environment to learn best practices in stunning cattle. Users interact with the virtual environment through headsets and handheld controllers, gaining confidence and proficiency before transitioning to live animals.
As well as being taken in-market for testing and demonstrations earlier this year, the VR tool made an appearance at Beef Australia 2024. This offered attendees an opportunity to experience the technology firsthand and gain insights into in-market stunning procedures. It also prompted interest from Australia’s processing industry and several big pastoral companies.
Best practice animal welfare
Funded by the Livestock Export Program (LEP) Research, Development and Extension Program, a collaboration between LiveCorp and MLA, this technology aims to improve training practices and support the best practice stunning of Australian-bred cattle in market.
Australian regulations require animal welfare standards be met throughout the export supply chain, prompting the industry to develop comprehensive training programs in key export markets. The industry also supports the delivery of training – last year, more than 3,000 participants were engaged in Indonesia alone.
In-market demonstrations of the VR tool sparked considerable interest among exporter staff, animal welfare officers, abattoirs and educational institutions. Its effectiveness has also been validated through practical application, being used during various training courses with more than 100 participants.
A notable demonstration was conducted for Forum AWO, a collective of animal welfare officers from Indonesian feedlots and abattoirs receiving Australian-bred cattle.
Forum AWO Chair, Pak Ismail Alim, was impressed by the VR training tool.
"This training system will give us the ability to familiarise trainees with the principles of effective stunning practices without the necessity of involving live animals. This makes it a very accessible and versatile tool for us to use as part of our training programs,” he said.
Training tool
Wayne Collier, CEO of LiveCorp, said the presence of Australian exporters in market has allowed conversations on animal welfare over many years, which would not otherwise have happened.
"One of the outcomes is the significant use of pre-slaughter stunning, as well as improved animal handling and slaughter practices generally,” he said.
"In Indonesia, for instance, more than 90% of the abattoirs processing Australian-bred cattle are using stunning, while Vietnam recently introduced animal welfare standards that promote stunning as best practice for local as well as Australian-bred cattle.
“Some abattoirs only process a few animals a day, so finding opportunities for training can be challenging. The VR training tool can be used for new staff, as well as checking and refining techniques for existing staff.”
The integration of VR training is another milestone as the livestock export industry continues to embrace innovation to enhance animal welfare practices.
With its ability to simulate real-world scenarios and promote skill development in a safe and controlled environment, the stunning training tool is set to make a lasting impact on abattoir training practices in destination markets.