The objective of this work was to determine the effect of transport time （up to 11 hours） on animal welfare. 540 animals （cows, bulls and calves）, three transport times of 2, 4 to 6, and 10 to 11 hours, and two sp...The objective of this work was to determine the effect of transport time （up to 11 hours） on animal welfare. 540 animals （cows, bulls and calves）, three transport times of 2, 4 to 6, and 10 to 11 hours, and two space allowances （2 m2 and 1.5 m2 per animal for cows and bulls; and 1.2 m2 and 0.8 m2 per animal for calves） were used for the experiment during transport from farms to the abattoir in Uppsala, Sweden. Measurements were made on five animals on each trip. Stress response parameters considered were cortisol, glucose, lactate, creatine kinase and heart rate. Blood samples were taken before and after transport. Heart rate sensors were mounted on the animals at least 30 minutes before loading and measurements were made continuously from farms to the abattoirs until stunning. The results of heart rate measurement indicated that loading, un-loading and forced movement in the stunning box were the most stressful events. However, the results of statistical analysis confirmed that transport time doesn＇t have significant effect （P 〈 0.05） on heart rate. Concentration level of cortisol increased by 10 folds during short transport. However, cortisol concentration decreased with an increase of transport times （P 〈 0.01）. Glucose concentrations increased with transport time in all animal categories （P ≤ 0.01）. Transport time has significant effect on concentration levels of glucose （P ≤ 0.01）, creatine kinase （P 〈 0.001） and lactate （P 〈 0.01） particularly after 6 hours journey time.展开更多
文摘The objective of this work was to determine the effect of transport time （up to 11 hours） on animal welfare. 540 animals （cows, bulls and calves）, three transport times of 2, 4 to 6, and 10 to 11 hours, and two space allowances （2 m2 and 1.5 m2 per animal for cows and bulls; and 1.2 m2 and 0.8 m2 per animal for calves） were used for the experiment during transport from farms to the abattoir in Uppsala, Sweden. Measurements were made on five animals on each trip. Stress response parameters considered were cortisol, glucose, lactate, creatine kinase and heart rate. Blood samples were taken before and after transport. Heart rate sensors were mounted on the animals at least 30 minutes before loading and measurements were made continuously from farms to the abattoirs until stunning. The results of heart rate measurement indicated that loading, un-loading and forced movement in the stunning box were the most stressful events. However, the results of statistical analysis confirmed that transport time doesn＇t have significant effect （P 〈 0.05） on heart rate. Concentration level of cortisol increased by 10 folds during short transport. However, cortisol concentration decreased with an increase of transport times （P 〈 0.01）. Glucose concentrations increased with transport time in all animal categories （P ≤ 0.01）. Transport time has significant effect on concentration levels of glucose （P ≤ 0.01）, creatine kinase （P 〈 0.001） and lactate （P 〈 0.01） particularly after 6 hours journey time.
