Page 149 - The Welfare of Cattle

126 the WeLfare of CattLe

INtrODUCtION

Overview of the Size and Scope of North american Beef Slaughter

According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing
Service (AMS) and National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), the total number of cattle
slaughtered under federal inspection in 2015 in the United States was nearly 28.7 million. The
majority (80.2%) of those animals were heifers (7.5 million, 26.04% of total cattle slaughter) and
steers (15.5 million, 54.13% of total cattle slaughter). Within the mature cattle population, dairy
cows contributed 2.9 million (10.31% of total cattle slaughter) and beef cows contributed 2.3 million
(7.92% of total cattle slaughter) toward the total of 5.2 million cows (18.22% of total cattle slaugh-
ter) that were slaughtered in 2015. Bulls and stags contributed slightly more than 467,000 animals
(1.62% of total cattle slaughter).
In 2015, the USDA reported approximately 7.5% of the mature beef cow population and 31%
of the mature dairy cow population were slaughtered. Mature beef and dairy cows are culled from
their respective herds for a variety of reasons. In general, the reasons that cows are culled are divided
between two categories: voluntary culling and involuntary culling. Voluntary culling involves the
removal of an animal from the herd by the choice of the farmer or rancher. Often, voluntary culling
is associated with reduced productivity and the availability of replacement animals that are younger
with greater production potential. Involuntary culling typically consists of a “forced decision” for
the producer. Animals are involuntarily culled due to health and welfare disorders that are often
chronic, untreatable, or life threatening in severe cases. Hadley et al. (2006) reported that 79.5% of
dairy cows in the Upper Midwest and Northeast U.S. that were culled from dairy herds enrolled in
the Dairy Herd Improvement program were culled due to health reasons. Those reasons included
reproduction, injury, death, mastitis, feet and legs, disease, and udder problems. All of the previ-
ously listed conditions are classified as involuntary culling reasons. In the same study, the remain-
ing 21.5% of dairy cows were culled due to low production (12.8%) or sold for dairy purposes on
other farms (7.7%). It is important to recognize that mature cows that arrive at slaughter facilities
were not raised and managed with the primary objective of meat production like beef heifers and
beef and dairy steers. As a result, the mature cow population will typically manifest health and
welfare issues in greater frequency and severity.
Dairy cows are most often sold through terminal markets and auctions in the U.S. In a 2007
survey, the USDA National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) reported that 76.2% of
dairy cows that were removed from their respective farms were sold at auctions or terminal markets
and 26.5% of cows that were permanently removed from dairy herds were sold directly to a packer
or processor (NAHMS, 2007).

MODeS OF traNSPOrtatION

Prevalence of transport Methods

Prior to the development of the U.S. Interstate Highway System, long-distance transportation
of live cattle often occurred on hoof or by rail. As the infrastructure developed to support the
movement of goods by truck, straight-trucks and tractor-trailers became the predominant modes of
cattle transportation to slaughter.
The 2016 Market Cow and Bull National Beef Quality Audit (NCBA, 2016a) reported that
the average travel time for mature cows and bulls prior to slaughter was 6.7 ± 6.4 hours (NCBA,
2016a). The minimum transportation time was 0.2 hours and the maximum was 39.5 hours. The