Some abstracts do not have video files because ASAS was denied recording rights.
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Metrics for beef cattle welfare
The “Five Freedoms” of livestock is an important concept in the stewardship of beef cattle. These are the backdrop for evaluating the beef cattle welfare husbandry guidelines. The beef cattle care, husbandry and welfare guidelines for cow-calf, pastured stocker cattle and feeder cattle developed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) are reviewed. The Canadian and Australian feeder cattle care and welfare guidelines will also be reviewed and compared to with the NCBA guidelines. A U.S. packer currently has developed and implemented a Feedlot Cattle Audit. Their audit will be reviewed and the unique items not included on other beef cattle welfare assessments will be discussed. Important differences between site assessments and site audits are listed, and the utility of each approach to improving beef cattle care and husbandry. The major areas included are development of SOPs for; safety of employees and cattle, employee training, living space design and management, feeding and feed stuff selection management (including water), cattle handling, heath management and pain mitigation, medication management including withdrawal times, timely attention to individual cattle needs such as injury and euthanasia, and transportation.
Keywords: Beef, Husbandry, Welfare, Management