Edwards-Callaway Lily N, Walker Jennifer, Tucker Cassandra B
Department of Animal Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States.
Quality and Food Safety Danone North America, White Plains, NY, United States.
Front Vet Sci. 2019 Jan 18;5:343. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2018.00343. eCollection 2018.
Nearly a third of dairy cows are removed from herds annually in the United States. Our objective is to describe what is known about the process of sending a dairy cow to slaughter in the United States including our perspectives about her fitness for transport, her condition upon arrival at the slaughter plant and the decisions to transport her in the first place. This process begins when the decision is made by the farmer to remove a cow from the herd. Once a cow leaves the farm, she makes her way either directly to slaughter or goes through one or more livestock auctions or markets along the way. Cull cows can travel considerable distance to slaughter and may face a number of welfare challenges during this process. These stressors are exacerbated if the cows are compromised and not fit for transport. While all major industry stakeholders have recommendations or guidelines about fitness for transport, none are enforced rules or regulations. There is little financial disincentive for farmers to stop shipping compromised dairy cows, and, in some cases, slaughter plants are willing to take the risk on purchasing cows in this condition as those that survive the journey often generate a good margin of return. As a result, the decision to ship compromised cull cows is too common, as indicated by data about cow condition both at the farm and the slaughter plant. Compromised culled dairy cattle continue to arrive at slaughter plants and leadership within the industry is needed to tackle this welfare challenge.
在美国，每年有近三分之一的奶牛被从牛群中淘汰。我们的目标是描述在美国将奶牛送去屠宰的过程，包括我们对其运输适宜性、抵达屠宰场时的状况以及最初决定运输它的相关看法。这个过程始于农民决定将一头奶牛从牛群中淘汰。一旦奶牛离开农场，它要么直接前往屠宰场，要么途中经过一个或多个牲畜拍卖场或市场。淘汰奶牛可能要长途跋涉去屠宰，在此过程中可能面临诸多福利挑战。如果奶牛身体状况不佳且不适宜运输，这些压力因素会加剧。虽然所有主要行业利益相关者都有关于运输适宜性的建议或指导方针，但没有一项是强制实施的规则或法规。农民停止运送身体状况不佳的奶牛几乎没有经济上的不利因素，而且在某些情况下，屠宰场愿意冒险购买这种状况的奶牛，因为那些在运输途中存活下来的奶牛往往能带来可观的回报。因此，运送身体状况不佳的淘汰奶牛的决定非常普遍，农场和屠宰场的奶牛状况数据就表明了这一点。身体状况不佳的淘汰奶牛继续抵达屠宰场，行业内需要有领导能力的人来应对这一福利挑战。
