OPINION: New rules limit young calf travel to 12 hours

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) oversees transportation of livestock in Canada. It also works with many stakeholders to revise transport regulations. The most recent revision was just completed and the revised regulations are planned to come into effect in February, 2020.
The changes will impact both beef and dairy cattle producers. One of the biggest changes for dairy producers is that very young calves (those under eight-days old) can be transported under certain circumstances but not to auctions or assembly yards.

It is a common practice that young bull calves are gathered at auctions or other facilities, then moved to a feeding facility. This will not be permitted under the new regulations.

Does that mean that calves under eight days of age cannot be transported at all? They can be transported but not to an auction or an assembly yard. There are conditions on the transportation of those very young calves. A CFIA document notes: “These very young animals can only be transported one time if transport during the first eight days is determined to be necessary (e.g. under advice of a veterinarian) and they must be loaded individually without having to negotiate ramps within the conveyance, segregated from animals other than their dams or others of the same species and age, given sufficient space to lie down at all times, protected from adverse environmental conditions and be provided with access to feed, water and rest at intervals not exceeding 12 hours. In addition, the period from first animal loaded to last animal unloaded must not exceed 12 hours.”

Calves cannot be unloaded and reloaded even within the 12-hour transportation period.

If food and water are removed from the first calf that is loaded, the 12-hour period begins then. The last calf unloaded from the assembled load must have access to food and water within 12 hours of the time when the first calf was removed from access to food and water. To help people understand what that means in practical terms, the CFIA gives an example: “If feed and water were removed just prior to loading the first animals at 8 a.m., and additional animals were to be loaded at 10 a.m. and noon, the load is deemed to require access to feed and water again no later than 8 p.m.”

Dairy farmers can keep bull calves on their farm until they are nine days old. Even when calves are nine days or older, if they are not fed exclusively on hay or grain (that is unweaned), there are limitations on how they can be transported. The transport will be limited to a single trip of 12 hours or less. That may include a stop at an auction or assembly yard but even then, the entire travel period must not exceed 12 hours for unweaned calves.