What is it?
Animal handling principles are meant to support and facilitate the movement of livestock in a safe and minimally stressful way. By understanding how livestock naturally behave, handlers can work with the animal to get them where they need to be, while reducing the risk if injury to both the animal and the handler.
Animal handling principles can be broken down into three main categories:
Challenges
- Replacing infrastructure and equipment that is designed with cattle behavioral tendencies in mind can be costly.
- Some infrastructure and equipment may take up more space (i.e., curved pathways and chutes).
- Cattle are big, powerful animals that can be dangerous to work with.
- Understanding animal psychology takes time and effort.
How Does it Prevent AMR?
Stress during handling and transport can reduce cattle’s immune function [1]. By reducing this stress, the animal’s immune function will not be affected, and they will be better able to naturally fight any infections. Reducing the need for antimicrobials.
Further Reading
Product/Service Gaps
References
[1] T. Grandin, ‘Behavioral Principles of Livestock Handling’, American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists, Dec. 1989. Accessed: Aug. 18, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.grandin.com/references/new.corral.html
