Beef cattle Code update: priority welfare issues for the Scientific Committee report

The Code Committee and Scientific Committee collectively identified the following list of priority welfare issues. The Scientific Committee is developing a synthesis of research on these topics, and their report will provide valuable information to the Code Committee as they update the Code of Practice.   

Pain control for painful procedures

• Main principles
• Necessity for painful procedures and evidence for alternative management strategies
• Assisted calving
• Disbudding and dehorning
• Castration
• Branding

Health conditions at different stages of production

• Main principles
• Scours
• Bovine respiratory disease in cow-calf and feedlot production
• Lameness in cow-calf and feedlot production
• Nutritional diseases associated with high concentrate feeding (acidosis, liver abscesses, laminitis)

Weaning

• Welfare impacts of weaning on both the cow and the calf
• Weaning procedures/practices
• Pre and post weaning management

End-of-life management

• Current euthanasia method(s) and practices
  • Age-specific approaches that are appropriate and barriers to adoption of appropriate methods
• Decision-making especially for vulnerable animals
  • Evaluating prognosis, criteria for euthanasia (e.g., downer animals, thin/emaciated, compromised, unfit), and fitness for transport

Priority welfare issues are those that are particularly important for the welfare of the animals and that will particularly benefit from a review of the available research. Some animal welfare topics may not be selected for scientific review for any number of reasons (e.g., insufficient research). Welfare issues that are not selected for scientific review—yet fall within the scope of the Code—will still be addressed in the Code of Practice.