The need for beef in Indonesia is still not sufficiently met by the existing cattle population. The need for meat in Indonesia at the beginning of 2022 reached 695 thousand tons, while supply there is only 436 thousand tons of meat, so there is a deficit (BPS, 2022).
This causes the need for cattle that are imported from other countries such as Australia. In addition, the uneven population of livestock between regions in Indonesia led to the need for shipments from beef cattle production centers to other regions.
Thus the process of transportation of livestock is inevitable which can have a negative impact on the health and performance of livestock. Therefore, it is necessary to have good handling during the transportation process.
Post-Transport Impact
Transportation is one of the factors that can cause stress for cows. Some factors that can increase stress are loading/unloading, handling, density, duration and distance of travel, length of time not to eat and drink and weather or ambient temperature.
Stressful conditions experienced by cows can affect health and negatively affect the performance and quality of meat. Here are some of the post-transport impacts that cows can experience:
Weight loss
Unavailability of feed, drinking and discomfort during transportation are the causes of weight loss in cows. Weight loss can occur as much as 1% per hour during the initial 3-4 hours of travel, then decrease to 0.1% after 10 hours or more of travel (Coffey et al. 2001). Shrinkage of cattle weight during transportation can be divided into two, namely excretory shrink and tissue shrink.
Excretory shrink is a shrinkage of body weight due to excretion of feces and urine. This type of shrinkage can reach 6% of body weight if the cow does not eat and drink. However, the condition can recover after 1 or 2 days when it can eat and drink again (Richardson 2005).
Tissue shrink occurs when fluid loss from body tissues. This type occurs when the cow is on a long journey and does not eat, drink and experience stress. Weight loss that occurs can be more than 6% and will be more difficult to recover. The impact of this type of shrinkage can affect the quality marbling (intramuscular fat in meat) (Richardson 2005).
Average Daily Gain (ADG)
Post-transport impacts also affect ADG during livestock rearing. The longer the duration of the trip can adversely affect ADG. With good management, the value of ADG will gradually improve.
Disease of
Stress during transportation is a predisposing factor of the disease bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Stress can affect the cow's immune system making it more susceptible to BRD. This disease is also called shipping fever and become the cause of economic losses due to lower ADG, feed efficiency and performance of beef cattle.
Strategies To Mitigate Post-Transport Impacts
Here are some efforts that can be made to alleviate the impact of post-transportation on cattle :
Handling during the transportation process
Efforts to reduce stress can be started from the beginning of preparation until it is finished being transported. Process loading and unloading it should be done quietly/not noisy and not rude. In addition, the process loading and unloading it needs to be done in a place that has been specially designed to make it easier for livestock to get on or off the vehicle. Then when traveling, air circulation for cows should be good and avoid overcrowding the cage. If the duration of the trip is more than 30 hours, you should consider providing a stop for rest.
Vitamin supplementation
In addition to the above-mentioned vitamin supplements (Bioselvita) can be given after the cow arrives at the delivery location. In addition, ADE-Plex Inj can also be given. The vitamin E content can reduce transport stress by enhancing antioxidant capabilities as well as helping to improve feed efficiency and ADG after a few days from delivery.
Provide feed and drinking water
Give time to rest for cows that have just arrived and provide feed and drinking water that is easily accessible to all cows. During the transportation process (feed restriction, stress) there will be an increased need for minerals.
This can be aggravated due to low feed intake when it has arrived at the place of delivery. While minerals such as magnesium are important enough to respond to stressful conditions. Add premix with the content of mineral mixtures to meet these needs.
Transolite with a balanced nutritional content can be given to meet mineral needs and overcome stress. The presence of amino acids and other energy sources can help meet post-transport energy needs. In addition, Transolite also contains vitamins C and B which can help increase appetite and endurance of livestock.
The negative impact experienced by cows during the transportation process is inevitable. However, these impacts can be mitigated by preparation to post-transport handling that is done well.
