Sometimes people responsible for the welfare of animals must make the difficult decision to euthanase or slaughter livestock in an emergency situation. Reasons might include:
illness and animal disease outbreaks
extreme weather and seasonal conditions like drought and flooding
when bushfires have affected livestock and properties
Welfare of livestock and animals must always be a priority.
Please check stock carefully to assess if animals should be:
Often it is necessary to get advice from a veterinarian to make this decision. Livestock showing signs of obvious distress should be immediately treated by a veterinarian or humanely euthanased.
Where the animal is euthanased or slaughtered will depend on whether the animal is fit-to-load onto a truck or other vehicle for transport.
How to determine if animals are fit for transport
Determining if animals are fit-for-transport will help you decide whether animals can be taken to an abattoir.
Factors that need to be considered when assessing livestock include:
immediate and long term welfare of the animals
severity of any burns, injuries, disease or illness
impact of injuries, disease or illness on productivity
availability of feed and water
facilities available for sustained care of animals
the owners capacity and willingness (physically, emotionally and financially) to provide ongoing care and reassessment of affected animals.
Fit-to-load standards are included in the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines - Land Transport of Livestock. The standards are legally enforceable any time stock is transported - even in a natural disaster, these standards apply:
Animal Welfare Guideline - Land Transport of Livestock (PDF 1Mb)
Meat and Livestock Australia has also published a guide called "Is it fit to load?". It is a companion to the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines.
If animals are fit to load
If animals are fit to load, immediate slaughter at an abattoir is a good option for stock management after an emergency event.
Not all abattoirs have the capacity to accept large numbers of injured stock for slaughter. Please contact the abattoir before loading stock. Livestock agents may also be able to help by negotiating with abattoirs.
If animals are not fit to load
If the animals are not fit to load, then on-farm emergency slaughter should only be carried out within the approved Animal Welfare Guidelines.
Biosecurity Tasmania have also created guides for the humane destruction of livestock. These provide technical advice about how to shoot an animal humanely, as well as other methods like captive bolt, blunt force, and chemical euthanasia:
A guide to humane destruction of cattle in Tasmania (PDF 230Kb)
A guide to humane destruction of sheep in Tasmania (PDF 160Kb)
Farmers can apply for an exemption to purchase captive bolt device ammunition for work purposes:
Exemption Process for Captive Bolt Device Ammunition (PDF 155Kb)