Use of animal welfare friendly assembly yard, chute and weighing system in beef finishing unit in Ireland
Buying in and handling young bulls as they enter a feed unit can prove extremely challenging in terms of assembly, safety and animal welfare, in addition to the animal health challenges. Kieran Dooley finishes c 1000 young bulls in Boora, Co Offaly, Ireland. He recently erected a comprehensive assembly yard and cattle chute, which has proved to be a great success in improving the handling of young bulls. The system is designed in a fashion that avoids stress on the animals and makes it easier for the operator. All of the pens and chute are constructed in a curved rounded design to assist easier movement for the animals. There are no corners or angle edges for animals to encounter. Gates are designed to allow the animals enter, move and exit in a smooth fashion and are also easy to operate for the farmer. While the initial capital cost was high, there has been a very good return on investment in terms of the benefits which include; the efficient system has reduced labour input on the farm and allowed for handling large volumes of animals in shorter time frames ( 50 animals in 30 minutes) – an important socio-economic benefit, reduced stress on the animals and reduced animal health and welfare issues – a major animal health and welfare benefit as well as a meat quality benefit, and increased safety for the farmer.
The main bottleneck with the system was the initial capital cost.
BovINE - Beef Innovation Network Europe
Ongoing | 2020-2022
- Main funding source
- Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
- Geographical location
- Ireland