AUSTRALIA: Live shipping and animal welfare

Meat and Livestock Australia is inviting preliminary project proposals for transformational change in the meat industry.

Up to $5.75 million in funding is available over five years for increasing cost efficiency and productivity, including adaptability and risk management in the northern beef, southern beef, lamb and sheep meat investment areas, The Australian Financial Review reports.

One topic will be development of animal welfare training programs for sheep and cattle in live export markets. "The successful applicant will require sound knowledge of animal welfare, training and the live export destination markets for both sheep and cattle," the MLA documentation specifies.

"The modular training programs will need to cover the content of the generic industry standard operating procedures and the DAFF [Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry] supply chain assurance and welfare standards for the pre-slaughter management and slaughter of Australian cattle and sheep overseas."

This particular proposal must be in by August 30, although Melbourne-based tender specialist TenderSearch reports some other aspects of research have varying closing dates in September up to September 30 for cost efficiency and productivity growth.

The welfare training packages, for both cattle and sheep, should address handling and land transport of livestock, feedlot operations, lairage, slaughter with stunning and slaughter without stunning.