The single most important factor, which affects animal welfare, is the attitude of management. A good manager enforces standards to maintain good welfare. Employees are well trained in the day-to-day operations to care for animals to minimize their stress. Reducing stress on livestock during handling will help reduce sickness and enable cattle to go back on feed more quickly. Reducing stress during handling will provide advantages of increasing productivity and maintaining meat quality.

Animal Welfare is a Public Concern! The public is becoming increasingly concerned about how animals are treated.

Economic Advantages to Good Animal Welfare:

Careful, quiet handling of livestock by trained people in good facilities will reduce bruising and help maintain meat quality.

• Bruises cost the U.S. Beef industry $1.00 per animal on feedlot beef and $3.91 per animal on cows and bulls. (Colorado State University, l992; l995).
• Improving animal welfare can also improve employee safety because calm cattle are easier to move or work around.
• Lowering stress improves Meat Quality and Animal Welfare. Gentle handling in well-designed facilities will minimize stress levels, improve efficiency and maintain good meat quality.
• Eliminating stress factors helps reduce the numbers of DARK CUTTERS (DFD). Some factors contributing to dark cutting and make cattle more susceptible are rough handling. To PREVENT DFD (dark, firm, dry meat) in cattle handle animals quietly and eliminate electric prod usage.
• The Animal Ambulance allows the operator to stay on the outside of the unit… NO interaction with livestock. INCREASING SAFETY to both cattle and people! NO hot shots needed!
  
  

This is often an economic advantage. Improving welfare of the animal during handling and transportation is a "WIN - WIN" situation!!