What We’re Reading | Strike three? Transport rest stops still don’t show a benefit for weaned calves

This article written by Dr. Reynold Bergen, BCRC Science Director, originally appeared in the September 2022 issue of Canadian Cattlemen magazine and is reprinted on the BCRC Blog with permission of the publisher.

In 2017, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency released draft transport regulations requiring that all cattle receive a minimum eight-hour feed, water and rest break after a maximum 36 hours in transit. Because there was no relevant science to support this decision, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the BCRC funded a Beef Cluster project to determine whether feed, water and rest stops during long distance transport improve calf health and welfare outcomes.

This project was led by led by Karen Schwartzkopf-Genswein and Daniela Melendez of AAFC Lethbridge. Their third and final study (“Effect of rest, post-rest transport duration and conditioning on performance, behavioral, and physiological welfare indicators of beef calves”) should be published in PLOS One in the coming months.

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‘What We’re Reading’ is a quick look at some of the issues and insights Alberta Beef Producers’ content creators and editors are reading to stay up-to-date, to broaden perspectives, and to explore issues relevant to the agriculture industry.