Thursday, 05 May 2022 07:55

Treat all cattle with care, respect

Written by  Staff Reporters
Farmers must ensure body condition score (BCS) targets will be met as per contract on takeover date. Farmers must ensure body condition score (BCS) targets will be met as per contract on takeover date.

DairyNZ says all cattle, regardless of their purpose, must be treated with care and respect as they are being prepared for transport and then physically transported.

A comfortable and safe journey for cattle reduces effluent on public roads and ensures animals arrive at their destination fit and healthy.

DairyNZ recommends a checklist for transporting cows - for farmers and transporters. This checklist covers: transport planning, days of transport, checking to see if the animals good to go and how to take care of sick animals.

It says farmers must ensure body condition score (BCS) targets will be met as per contract on takeover date.

"If BCS, pasture cover targets or supplements on hand are not going to be met, have a proactive conversation with the other party as to what arrangement can be made to compensate," it says.

Planning for the movement of cattle must commence in the weeks and months prior to transport.

DairyNZ recommends completing Body Condition Scoring (BCS) of all animals for transport and making plans to ensure all stock will reach target BCS by moving day.

"Do a final check over for any cull cows that have been missed - arrange for removal from farm. Where possible, ensure they will go to the nearest processing plant. If processing plants are full then make a Plan B.

"Dry off as many animals as possible and do this with sufficient time to ensure that they are properly dried off on the day of transport and confirm the exact number of cattle you need to transport.

"Ensure all animals that are going to be transported are NAIT compliant (i.e. have NAIT tags in their ear and are registered with NAIT)."

Day Prior To Transporting

  • Confirm stock are all 'good to go' with BCS of 3 or higher, fit and healthy and not likely to give birth during the journey
  • Stand stock off green feed for at least four hours, but continue feeding silage, hay or straw during stand-off
  • Ensure all stock have access to water prior to loading. Many farmers have plumbed in a basic water trough at the yards that can be filled while the yards are in use.
  • Give extra calcium and magnesium to any lactating cows and consider any other minerals or trace elements (e.g. extra Phosphorus for cows being fed Fodder beet). Make arrangements to ensure that these cows are milked immediately prior to loading.
  • Confirm with the transporter times and address details and your expectations for the move.
  • Make sure you have enough people to help with the loading and unloading for a smooth and efficient process.
  • Confirm that agreed food and water will be available to animals along the journey if necessary, and upon arrival.

Day of Transporting

  • Inspect each animal prior to loading to ensure they are fit and healthy for transport.
  • Milk any lactating cows.
  • Confirm with transport operator that effluent tanks are empty on trucks prior to loading stock.
  • Complete ASD and NAIT documentation.
  • Move to appropriate feed and water access as soon as possible after arrival.
  • Two hours following unloading cattle must be checked for signs of injury or illness.

More like this

Herd production performance soars

New data released by LIC and DairyNZ shows New Zealand dairy farmers have achieved the highest six week in-calf rate and lowest notin- calf rate on record.

Editorial: On the mend

OPINION: DairyNZ's latest forecast data on the Econ Tracker, that the outlook for the current season has improved, will be welcome news for farmers.

Returns lift, costs down - DairyNZ

The outlook for dairy farmers this season has improved, especially when compared to forecasts only six months ago, according to DairyNZ.

Featured

Demand for food support increases

New findings from not-for-profit food supply and distribution organization, the New Zealand Food Network (NZFN) have revealed a 42% increase in demand for food support in 2023 compared to 2022.

Herd production performance soars

New data released by LIC and DairyNZ shows New Zealand dairy farmers have achieved the highest six week in-calf rate and lowest notin- calf rate on record.

Council lifeline for A&P Show

Christchurch City Council and the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association (CAPA) have signed an agreement which will open more of Canterbury Agricultural Park for public use while helping to provide long-term certainty for the A&P Show.

Rural Advocacy Hub announced for Fieldays

This year’s Fieldays will feature a Rural Advocacy Hub - bringing together various rural organisations who are advocating for farmers and championing their interests as one team, under one roof, for the first time.

Struggling? Give us a call

ASB head of rural banking Aidan Gent is encouraging farmers to speak to their banks when they are struggling.

National

Machinery & Products

New name, new ideas

KGM New Zealand, is part of the London headquartered Inchcape Group, who increased its NZ presence in August 2023 with…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Plant-based bubble bursts

OPINION: Talking about plant-based food: “Chicken-free chicken” start-up Sunfed has had its valuation slashed to zero by major investor Blackbird…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter