The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) is conducting research to evaluate pain relief treatments in the cattle industry.
The Department said the research was part of the collaborative national Northern Beef Project with the Northern Territory Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade and co-investment from the Meat and Livestock Australia Donor Company.
DPIRD said it aimed to improve animal welfare outcomes for routine husbandry procedures and satisfy increasingly discerning market requirements.
It said two producer demonstration sites in the Kimberley and another in the Pilbara were hosting the integrated trial to demonstrate the use of two different methods for applying pain relief products and to promote industry best practice animal husbandry.
Development Officer at DPIRD, Rach Darwin (pictured) said the two pain relief methods being examined had been administered to small groups of weaner cattle.
“One product contains an analgesic, antiseptic and adrenaline, which is applied to the wound and provides short-term relief,” Ms Darwin said.
“The other product is an injection that acts by reducing inflammation, which provides longer lasting pain relief.”
The Development Officer said the Department was assessing the use of each product independently, as well as together and in comparison to a control group over a three-week period, to determine the best practice strategies for pain relief applications for weaners.
“The animals have been fitted with accelerometers — small, non-invasive devices attached to an ear tag — that collect information about the animal’s movements,” she said.
“The accelerometers will capture changes in the sitting and standing behaviour of the animals to ascertain their behavioural reaction to animal husbandry practices and to use that behaviour as an indicator of the effectiveness of the products,” Ms Darwin said.
The trial will be repeated in 2022 to verify and value-add to the current experiment.
