Effects of transporting bulls at different space allowances on physiological, haematological and immunological responses to a 12-h journey by road

peer-reviewedThe effects of space allowance during transportation on physiological, haematological and immunological responses in nine-month old bulls (250 kg) were assessed before and after a 12-h road journey. Following transport, animals transported at a spatial allowance of 1.27 m2 had higher (P ≤0.001) non-esterified fatty acid concentrations than control. The stimulated production of interferon-, in response to concanavalin-A and keyhole limpet haemocyanin, and plasma cortisol were not different at the 0.85 m2 and 1.27 m2 stocking densities. Glucose and albumin concentrations were higher (P ≤0.001) post-transport in all transported animals than control. The percentage lymphocytes was reduced (P ≤0.001) and neutrophil percentage and the number of neutrophils were increased (P ≤0.001) in all transported treatments. There were no changes (P 0.05) in monocyte numbers, monocyte percentage or platelet numbers following transportation. The haematocrit values were higher (P ≤0.001) in the transported treatments while RBC numbers were higher (P ≤0.001) in the animals transported at a spatial allowance of 1.27 m2 than control. Protein, globulin, urea and lactate concentrations, and white blood cell numbers were not changed at any time during the study. The concentration of -hydroxybutyrate was lower (P ≤0.001) in all animals following transport. Plasma haptoglobin concentrations were unchanged following transportation while plasma fibrinogen concentrations were reduced in all transported treatments. There were no differences among treatments in rectal temperature or live weights pre- and post-transport. The results indicate that within the conditions of the study, there was no welfare advantage in transporting bulls at 1.27 m2 versus the standard spatial allowance of 0.85 m2 on a 12-h road journey

Effects of pre-transport fasting on the physiological responses of young cattle to 8-hour road transport

peer-reviewedThe effects of fasting animals for 8 h prior to an 8-h road journey and their ability to cope with the stress of transport were investigated. The treatments were: 1) fasted and then transported (n=20); 2) non-fasted and transported (n=18); 3) non-fasted at grass (n=18); 4) fasted then fasted (n=18), and 5) non-fasted then fasted (n=18). There was no significant difference in rectal body temperature, pre- or post-transport, or live weight among treatments on days 0 (pre-transport), 1, 4 or 10 (post-transport). The ambient relative humidity and temperature of the outside environment ranged from 82.8 to 99.8% and 9.9 to 14.5 oC, respectively. Holstein × Friesian bulls (230 kg) undergoing an 8-h transportation at stocking densities of 0.82 m2/animal showed physiological and haematological responses that were within normal referenced ranges. Animals that were fasted for 8 h and transported lost 9.4% of live weight while non-fasted transported animals lost 7.2%. The control non-fasted animals remaining at grass gained 2% of live weight. Animals that were fasted continuously but not transported and the initially non-fasted control animals that were subsequently fasted for 9 h lost 6.1% and 6.2% of live weight, respectively. There was no significant change in concentrations of globulin, glucose, urea, haemoglobin or fibrinogen, or in haematocrit percentage before or after transport. Transport reduced lymphocyte percentage (P < 0.001) and increased neutrophil percentage (P < 0.001) in the fasted and non-fasted animals. Following transport, protein concentration was greater (P ≤0.001) in the fasted and transported animals than in the non-fasted animals at grass and haptoglobin concentrations were higher (P ≤0.001) in the fasted plus transported animals than the controls at grass. In conclusion, from the physiological and haematological measurements, an 8-h journey time, even without access to feed for 8 h prior to transport did not appear to impact negatively on animal welfare

Efficient beef production from grazed pasture.

End of Project Reports.Documented data comparing both cutting and grazing grass growth rates in Ireland are minimal. Most protocols for measuring grass growth involve a cutting regime of either 3 or 4-week cycles. The effect of the grazing animal is absent in most situations. However, herbage production can readily be affected by the rate of fertiliser nitrogen used and the frequency of grazing/cutting management 6 practices employed. The first two experiments reported here were undertaken to assess grass growth under grazing and cutting regimes and to determine the extent of differences which may arise from different harvesting procotols. The third experiment investigated the effect of nitrogen application rate and regrowth interval on annual herbage production. Early grazing: The experiments reported here were conducted to examine the effects of early turnout to grass on beef cattle production and on sward productivity. Autumn pasture production: The present series of experiments investigated the effects of autumn closing dates on herbage yield and quality as well as their effects on sward productivity. The effects of short and long grazing rest intervals were evaluated in the context of autumn grass growth and their effects on subsequent spring growth.European Union Structural Funds (EAGGF

Maximising Annual Intake of Grazed Grass for Beef Production.

End of Project ReportsGrass is by far the most important crop grown in Ireland.Well-managed grassland supports high levels of animal performance, and the production of high quality produce. Grazed grass is a relatively cheap feed source for beef production (O'Kiely, 1994). Grazed grass does not always match feed requirements in efficient beef production systems. Supply tends to exceed demand in the late spring and summer whereas deficiencies in feed supply occur in late autumn and during the winter and early spring. The objective of the present series of experiments was to examine the potential to increase the utilization of grazed grass in beef production systems.There are two aspects to this: one relates to the utilization of grass in situ; the second relates to the strategic approach to grass utilization, i.e. matching feed requirements with supply of grazed grass and silage conservation during the year. The first two experiments presented in this report examine the utilization of grass in situ. The effects of pre-grazing pasture mass and nitrogen (N) fertilization on the production and subsequently the utilization and digestibility of the grass under grazing by cattle were examined. A third experiment and examines the effect of pre-grazing pasture mass on performance of beef cattle during a grazing season. The fourth experiment investigates the role of perennial ryegrass cultivars in supplying grass for grazing during the spring, and for the production of high nutritive value first cut silage.European Union Structural Funds (EAGGF

Reducing The Cost of Beef Production by Increasing Silage Intake.

End of Project ReportGrass silage must support the predictable, consistent and profitable production of quality animal produce within environmentally sustainable farming systems. This can be quite a challenge for a crop that is so strongly influenced by the prevailing variable weather conditions, and the many interactions of the latter with farm management practices. Research and scientific progress must therefore continue to provide improved technologies if grass silage is to fulfil the above requirements. Yield, quality (including effects on intake, feed conversion efficiency, growth, meat quality, etc.), conservation losses, inputs and eligibility for EU financial supports determine the cost of providing cattle with silage, and this can have a major impact on the cost of producing milk or beef. Consequently, there has been an emphasis in the research reported here to add new information to the existing framework of knowledge on thes

Concentrate Supplementation of Pasture for Beef Production

End of Project Report* Unsupplemented cattle offered a high grass allowance (18 kg (DM)/head/day), achieved 0.97 of the DM intake of a positive control offered concentrates ad-libitium. At a low grass allowance (6 kg/DM/head/day), there was no effect of supplementary concentrates on grass intake. At a medium (12 kg/DM/head/day), and high grass allowance, supplementary concentrates reduced grass intake by 0.43 and 0.81 kg/DM respectively per kg/DM concentrate offered. * Supplementary concentrates increased complete diet digestibility even though offering supplementary concentrates also increased total DM intake. Complete diet digestibility was higher than the additive values of the grass and concentrates. This would imply that the supplementary concentrates increased the grass DM digestibility. * Increasing the grass allowance increased plasma urea concentration; supplementary concentrates increased total dietary nitrogen intake and reduced plasma urea concentration. These findings suggest that the concentrate supplement enabled greater utilisation by rumen micro-organisms of the degradable nitrogen supplied by the grass. * Supplementing with concentrates increased carcass growth by 116 g/kg concentrate DM eaten whereas increasing the grass allowance increased carcass growth by 38 g/kg/DM grass eaten. The carcass weight response to concentrates of grazing animals was twice that of animals offered concentrates ad-libitum which gained 57 g carcass per kg concentrate DM eaten. * The relationship between carcass gain (Y) (kg/day) and supplementary concentrates (X) (kg/day) was quadratic (P< 0.001) and was best described by the equation: Y = -0.0099X2 + 0.1364X + 0.2459 (R2 = 0.60). The relationship between carcass gain (Y) (kg day-1) and grass intake (X) was also quadratic (P< 0.01) and was best described by the equation: Y = -43X2 + 275X + 133 (R2 = 0.48). Although there was a much larger (double) carcass growth response to supplementary concentrates than to additional grass DM eaten, increasing grass intake significantly increased carcass fat scores whereas offering supplementary concentrates did not. This would imply that relative to concentrates, autumn grass led to a change in the partitioning of energy from muscle towards subcutaneous fat. * As a strategy for increasing the performance of cattle grazing the type of autumn grass used in this study, offering supplementary concentrates offers more scope to improve animal performance than altering grass allowance. * The carbohydrate source of the three concentrates formulated to differ in rate of degradability did not alter rumen fluid pH, volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration or the rate of grass DM or N degradation when grass supply was considered to be limiting or liberal. The autumn grass was apparently capable of buffering the effects of concentrate DM degradation rate which varied by up to two fold. * The rumen fluid parameters were more influenced by the pat-tern of grass intake than type of concentrate offered. Hence, there was no effect of concentrate type on animal performance.European Union Structural Funds (EAGGF

The fatty acid profile and stable isotope ratios of C and N of muscle from cattle that grazed grass or grass/clover pastures before slaughter and their discriminatory potential

peer-reviewedConsumption of grazed pasture compared to concentrates results in higher concentrations, in beef muscle, of fatty acids considered to be beneficial to human health. Little information is available on the influence of the type of grazed forage. Our objectives were to determine 1) the effect of inclusion of white clover in a grazing sward on the fatty acid profile of beef muscle and 2) the potential of the fatty acid profile and stable isotope ratios of C and N to discriminate between beef from cattle that grazed grass-only or grass/clover swards before slaughter. A total of 28 spring-born Charolais steers grazed from March until slaughter in October, either on a perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) sward that received approximately 220 kg N/ha or a perennial ryegrass–white clover (Trifolium repens L.) sward that received 50 kg N/ha. The longissimus muscle from cattle finished on grass/clover had a higher (P < 0.05) proportion of C18:2 and C18:3 but a lower (P < 0.05) proportion of conjugated linoleic acid and δ15N value than animals finished on the grass-only sward. Discriminant analysis using the fatty acid data showed that, after cross-validation, 80.7% of grass/clover and 86.1% of grass-only muscle samples were correctly classified. Discriminant analysis using the stable isotope data showed that, after cross-validation, 95.7% of grass/clover and 86.5% of grass-only muscle samples were correctly classified. Inclusion of white clover in pasture is likely to have little effect on healthiness of meat for consumers. However, changes in fatty acids and stable isotopes can be used to distinguish between grass/clover-fed and grass-only-fed beef

The welfare of animals transported from Ireland to Spain AND The Physiological haematological and immunological responses of 9-month old bulls (250kg) to transport at two stocking densities (0.85m2 and 1.27m2 /250kg animal) on a 12-hour journey by road.

End of Project ReportFifty-two weanling continental x beef heifers (mean liveweight 269kg) were transported from Ireland to France on a roll-on roll-off ferry (RO-RO), and onwards by road for 3-hours to a French lairage, rested for 24 hours at a staging post and taken by road on an 18-hour journey through France to a feedlot in Spain. Animals transported to France lost 7.6 % of their bodyweight, and gained 3.3 % of their bodyweight by time of arrival in Spain and recovered to pre-transport liveweight values by day 6. Although there was some evidence that transport affected physiological and immunological variables, there was no evidence to suggest that it adversely affected the health or the performance of the animals post transport. Creatine kinase activities were increased but values were still within normal acceptable ranges. Increases in non-esterified fatty acids, beta-hydroxybutyrate and urea concentrations suggested that the animals' normal pattern of feeding was disrupted during transport. Increases in albumin, total plasma protein and osmolality would indicate slight dehydration during transit. However, albumin concentrations returned to control levels by day 38 of the study. While haematocrit values were decreased, they are within the range of normal referenced data (24 - 48%). Similarly, changes in the RBC numbers and haemoglobin were within the normal blood referenced ranges ((RBC; 5.0 – 10.0 x106 /ml) and (haemoglobin 8-14 g%)(Schalm, 1961)). The only time at which white blood counts increased above the upper limit of 12, was 12 hours after arrival at the French lairage. The aspartate transaminase concentrations for the transported animals at arrival in France and Spain were not significantly different from their pre-transport concentrations but were increased at day 11 when compared with baseline levels. Concanavalin-A induced interferon-g levels were lower on arrival in the Spanish feedlot and on Day 11 of the study, when compared with pre-transport baseline levels. Compared with pre-transport levels, keyhole limpet haemocyanin-induced interferon-g levels for the transported animals were significantly decreased on the day of arrival in France, with no significant difference on the day of arrival in Spain or on day 11 of the study. Interferon-g is produced by activated T lymphocytes and natural killer cells in response to antigen. The percentage (%) of lymphocytes decreased and the % neutrophils increased post-transport indicating a shift in the population of these blood cells relative to pre-transport baseline values. There was no significant change in plasma cortisol concentrations in transported animals at arrival in France and in Spain. On Day 11, the plasma cortisol concentrations of transported animals were significantly higher than control animals. There were significantly higher glucose concentrations on arrival in France, and in samples taken at 12 and 24 hours post-arrival in France, on arrival in Spain, and on days 7 and 11 compared with control levels. Transported animals had significantly higher glucose levels at sample 2 on the day of arrival in France compared with their pre-transport values. Transported animals had significantly higher fibrinogen levels at arrival in France compared with their pre-transport baseline concentrations. Inflammation resulting from stress can cause the release of acute phase proteins such as haptoglobin and fibrinogen, and acute phase proteins in cattle have been associated with immunosuppression, however, much higher levels have been reported in inflammatory conditions. Transported animals had significantly higher non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) levels on arrival in France and Spain and on day 11 compared with their pre-transport baseline concentrations. Control animals had significantly higher levels on day 5 compared with their pre-transport baseline NEFA concentrations. However, all levels were within the normal acceptable ranges. The study concluded that transport had no adverse effect on animal welfare based on the physiological, immunological and haematological measurements made

Effect of floor type on performance, lying time and dirt scores of finishing beef cattle: A meta-analysis

peer-reviewedData from individual studies evaluating the effect of housing systems on performance, lying time and dirt scores of finishing beef cattle are conflicting. The objective of this study was to collate the data from previous animal housing studies and quantify, through meta-analysis, the effect of floor type on animal performance, lying time and dirt scores. From 38 peer-reviewed articles, published between 1969 and 2017, 18 were determined to be eligible for meta-analysis. Papers were included in the study if they contained information on the effect of floor surface on animal performance (average daily liveweight gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and carcass weight), lying behaviour or animal cleanliness. There was no difference (P > 0.10) in ADG, FCR or carcass weight between concrete slatted floors (CSF) and CSF overlaid with rubber mats (RM). Using RM had no effect (P > 0.10) on lying duration or dirt scores of cattle. There was no difference (P > 0.10) in the ADG, FCR, carcass weight, lying duration or cleanliness of cattle housed on CSF or straw bedding. It was concluded that using RM or straw instead of CSF had no effect on performance, lying time or dirt scores

The Welfare of Animals Transported From Ireland to Italy.

End of Project ReportThe overall objective of the present study was to investigate the physiological, haematological and immunological responses of weanling bulls transported to Italy under present EU legislation and to evaluate the implications in terms of animal welfare