You are here:

ARCHIVE: Cattle health and welfare

Maintaining high standards for animal health and welfare on the farm is essential for efficient production, establishing consumer confidence and managing risk of disease to both humans and animals.

The Farm Animal Welfare Council, which reviews farm animal welfare and advises government on the legislative or other requirements, recommends the following Five Freedoms for farm livestock:

  • freedom from hunger and thirst
  • freedom from discomfort
  • freedom from pain, injury or disease
  • freedom to express normal behaviour
  • freedom from fear and distress

While these freedoms provide general guidelines to avoid suffering and other harms, there are areas where specific guidance is available:

  • on-farm welfare
  • welfare at transport
  • welfare at market
  • welfare at slaughter

On-farm welfare

The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 details the minimum standards under which you must keep farm animals.
Similar legislation exists in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. For further information on animal welfare in these areas please contact the appropriate devolved administration.

The regulations require that anyone attending animals must be familiar with and have access to appropriate welfare codes. The codes are specific to each species of animal and aim to establish the highest standards of husbandry. They cover general requirements for stockmanship, health, feeding, accommodation and management, as well as specific requirements for breeding and the dairy sector.

Animal Health carries out welfare inspections which may be planned visits, spot checks or following up allegations of poor welfare. Notice can be served to enforce regulations and, where necessary, Defra can initiate prosecutions for welfare offences.

Defra also provides a series of guides on subjects including improving calf survival, lameness, condition scoring, mastitis and ear tag welfare issues.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has a safety guide Handling and housing cattle with recommendations for maintaining your own health and that of the animal.

Welfare in transport

The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 implements Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport and related operations.  This legislation covers the rules on transporting livestock, including requirements on vehicles, water, feed, rest, transporter competence and documentation.

Under the EC Regulation, those transporting cattle as part of a business or trade need the following:

  • a transporter authorisation
  • a certificate of competence
  • vehicles to be approved (if undertaking journeys of over eight hours)
  • journeys to be logged (either via an ATC or journey log)

We have produced a short guide for the transport of cattle which highlights the EC Regulation’s main requirements and the key cattle welfare issues that need to be considered. These include ensuring that:

  • they are not caused injury or unnecessary suffering
  • they are fit to travel
  • those transporting and handling cattle are trained and competent
  • rules on journey times, resting, watering and feeding are observed

Full details on the EC Regulation can be seen on the main welfare during transport pages.

Welfare in markets

Achieving a high standard of welfare at market requires:

  • well-maintained, welfare-friendly equipment
  • sympathetic handling by competent people

Defra’s Welfare of animals in livestock markets - code of practice covers the need for calm and careful handling, penning arrangements, shelter and feeding and watering where necessary. It also includes a number of specific points for cattle, including:

  • keeping adult males apart and away from other animals
  • calves not being sent to market more than twice in the previous four weeks

Welfare at slaughter

There are specific rules covering the handling, stunning, and slaughter or killing of animals. In particular;

  • slaughtermen must hold a Registered Licence
  • in every slaughterhouse a competent person must have authority to safeguard welfare
  • only permitted methods may be used to stun or kill animals

See Welfare of Animals Slaughter or Killing (WASK) Regulations 1995 – an explanatory guide, amendments and “pocket guides” on Pre-slaughter handling and Stunning and sticking for further details on maintaining welfare standards at slaughter.

The HSE has a guide on Preparing cattle for slaughter and The Food Standards Agency produces animal hygiene guides including:

The British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA) has published revised guidance on the emergency slaughter of cattle which is available on the BCVA website and at the link below: