User:Kyoung20/sandbox

Stress and Transportation

Stress in general can have very adverse effects on livestock, resulting in high mortality, immune suppression, and a decrease in agonistic behavior. Long-term stress can result in Dark Firm and Dry meat (DFD) in cattle, or pale, soft, and exudative meat (PSE) in pigs at the time of slaughter . DFD and PSE occur when there are no stores of glycogen at the time of slaughter to produce lactic acid. These two conditions are references to how the meat looks after slaughter, and they are undesirable because they are not what the the consumer is expecting to see when buying fresh meat. To avoid theses conditions in livestock, it is essential to reduce stress as much as possible prior to slaughter.

There are many ways to lower stress on livestock during transportation, all of which fall into three categories: pre-trip, intermodal, and post trip. Stressors at any of these stages can be changes in temperature, humidity, or noise, limitation of access to food and water, and exposure to new individuals or environments. Implementing measures to reduce stress at each of these stages can lead to an overall better trip for the livestock and make them easier to handle. Pre-trip methods of reducing stress include handling the livestock multiple times to familiarize them with handling practices, feeding the livestock a good, satisfying diet, and making sure that all of the animals are in good health. Measures to be taken during transport include maximizing the amount of space that each animal has, reducing the number of animals in each stall, transporting at a time when the outside temperature allows the animal to maintain a normal body temperature, providing adequate ventilation, and allowing access to food and water during long trips. Post-trip methods include providing food and water, using good handling practices, providing an environment that is as similar to the previous environment as possible, and allowing as much time as possible (for long trips up to 5 days of recovery) for the animals to recover from their trip.