Livestock factsheet
Current at 16 June 2014
Check for updates at agric.wa.gov.au
Livestock transport – are they fit to travel?
By Tony Higgs
Animals in pain
Under Western Australia’s animal welfare
legislation, it is not legal to transport an animal in a
way that causes, or is likely to cause, it
unnecessary harm.
In the legislation ‘harm’ includes:

injury

pain

distress evidenced by severe, abnormal
physiological or behavioural reactions.
Therefore there is a risk of not complying with the
law if an animal is transported when it has a
condition that is already causing pain that may get
worse during transport.
It can be very difficult to evaluate pain in livestock
because there is a natural tendency for livestock to
hide signs of pain as a way of protecting
themselves from predators. Therefore livestock
may be in pain but not show it.
Common painful conditions that can occur during
transport are:

broken legs

bleeding or discharging wounds

infected or injured eyes

broken and bleeding horns.
Bear in mind that it is harder for livestock to safely
find their way in strange surroundings, such as
trucks and saleyards, and they are therefore at
much greater risk of further injury than when they
are in familiar places. If further injury does occur
that may constitute an offence.
The onus is on the producer to ensure that animals
do not come to harm during transport as a result of
a condition that could reasonably be considered
painful at the time of loading. In the eyes of the law
a claim that an obvious injury was not seen is not a
valid excuse.
Animals with cancer
However, when pain becomes more severe
livestock will show signs of dullness, isolation and
an inclination to be very protective of the sensitive
area by showing aversion behaviour.
Cancer may occur almost anywhere on the body
but the most common locations are the eye and
udder in cattle and the nose, ears and tail region in
sheep.
Any animal with an obviously painful condition at
the time of loading should be deemed not fit for
transport and should be treated or destroyed
humanely on the farm and not transported. An
animal that is judged not fit for transport may be
transported under veterinary advice.
Cancer often begins as a tiny growth. As the
cancer progresses, bacteria often invade and the
area may develop into a foul smelling growth. Fly
strike may also occur.
Examples of signs of obvious pain would include:

not bearing weight on a limb

dullness, depression and isolation from the
mob

behaviour that is protective of a part of the
body.
Supporting your success
Some early stages of cancer can be treated by
veterinary intervention involving surgery or
freezing. Left untreated, most cancers will continue
to grow, invading deeper tissues and spreading
elsewhere in the body.
Early intervention is required with all cancer cases
- the animal should be culled and sent for
slaughter if fit for transport, or destroyed if not fit
for transport. It is not acceptable to just do nothing.
NOTE: Animals with cancer of any size are not
acceptable at saleyards.
Size of cancer
Less than 3cm (20
cent coin) and not
bleeding or
discharging.
Greater than 3cm or
any of:

bleeding

discharging

fly strike

foul smelling.
Action
Fit for transport:

treat or destroy, or

transport direct to
abattoir (at owner's risk
of rejection/nonpayment), or

transport direct to
knackery

not acceptable at
saleyards.
Not fit for transport:

treat or destroy at first
reasonable opportunity

do not transport except
under veterinary advice
- owner and transporter
may face cruelty
charges.
Risk of prosecution for
cruelty if no action is taken
to treat or destroy at first
reasonable opportunity.
Important disclaimer
The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Agriculture and Food and the State of Western Australia
accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this
information or any part of it.
Copyright © Western Australian Agriculture Authority, 2014