AN RSPCA spokesperson said new guidelines recommending the
boycott of saleyards by beef producers, labelled “absurd” by the Victorian
Farmers Federation, could be extended to sheep.
One of the key
recommendations of the RSPCA Animal Welfare guidelines for beef cattle, released
earlier this month, suggested that cattle should not be consigned through
saleyards, so they do not endure unnecessarily long journey times.
While the
guidelines specifically looked at cattle, RSPCA Australia scientific officer for
farm animals Melina Tensen told The Guardian that the same welfare issues could
be applied to sheep.
“Transport can cause suffering or distress,” she
said.
“Loading or unloading and mixing with unfamiliar animals or feed and
water — all of those things associated with transport can be stressful.
“The
best way to reduce that stress is to reduce the number of steps between the
point of origin and the final destination, whether it be an abattoir or another
property.
“The saleyard is an additional step in the journey and each
additional step is going to cause stress.”
For more on this story, see Friday’s edition of The Guardian (14/12/12).
