Cattle today are bigger than they were 30 years ago, thanks to improved genetics and better husbandry. In fact, finished cattle have outgrown the trailers used to haul them. Industry consensus and research show that larger cattle being hauled in equipment designed in the last century are creating welfare and product quality issues, resulting in $35-million-plus industry wide loss.
Source: Drovers CattleNetwork, September 16, 2016.
‘As an industry, we knew the problem existed, but our research now shows us the cause and what needs to be done to fix it,’ says Dan Thomson, Kansas State University veterinarian and an industry leader in animal welfare and beef cattle production.
‘We have a responsibility from a sustainable, moral and ethical standpoint to do everything we can to improve animal welfare,’ says Mike Seimens, global leader of animal welfare and husbandry, Cargill.
INSIGHTS: This work is a roadmap for any segment of meat production to follow to address a problem. It exemplifies science documenting the problem, cooperation solving it and industry leadership creating solutions.