ABSF Explained: Transport

Transport is one of the priority issues of the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework within the theme of “Best animal care”.

The Australian beef industry strives to put in place handling procedures consistent with Australian regulations and standards, and in line with international best practice for animal health and welfare.

In Australia, the transport of beef cattle is both on road and at sea.

The Data

The 2022 ABSF Annual Update reported a total mortality rate of cattle exported on sea voyages of 0.11% in 2020.

Every six months, the Australian Minister for Agriculture must table in Parliament a report that includes livestock mortalities on every sea voyage. The report is compiled from information provided by the Department by the ships’ master, as required by the Export Control Act 2020.

The industry is currently working on an indicator for the domestic transport of cattle.

Snapshot of Activities

Live export real-time monitoring

The livestock export industry has developed technology to monitor livestock and collect animal welfare data on ships – a first for any livestock industry in Australia – and will use it to meet new reporting requirements. The data will allow researchers to refine recording systems and welfare thresholds, to help identify what levels are considered acceptable or unacceptable for each indicator.

Live export welfare research

The number of animals in a pen, the condition of their bedding, and the amount of ammonia in the air can all have an impact on welfare. A long-term project partnership has been established between the livestock export industry and the University of New England to take a holistic approach to research into these topics. The research will allow industry to understand how stocking density, bedding and ammonia production can be managed to improve livestock health and welfare.

Road transport

The Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) is conducting research into stress levels of animals during road transport. This research will quantify how stress may be impacted by road transport to provide baseline study on the forces involved in the transport of livestock to processing facilities.