Cattle

The 'Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Cattle' are part of a series of projects to develop livestock welfare standards and guidelines.

The standards and guidelines for cattle will be refined from the Model Code of Practice for the welfare of animals (MCOP) and will apply to all people responsible for the care and management of cattle.

‘The Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Cattle’ will follow the principles described in the revised Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines Development Business Plan (507 KB) .

The cattle writing group is responsible for drafting the standards and guidelines for cattle. It is comprised of representatives from Animal Welfare Committee (AWC), Cattle Council of Australia (CCA), Australian Lot Feeders` Association Inc (ALFA), Dairy Australia, CSIRO and DAFF. The group is led by an independent Chair and supported by Animal Health Australia (AHA).

The cattle reference group is comprised of representatives from all aspects of cattle care and management. Cattle reference group meetings are held to review the standards and guidelines draft and provide to further guidance, a 90 day public consultation period is part of the process.

Progress report

The first cattle reference group met on 30 – 31 March 2010 in Canberra. The group reviewed and accepted the business and communications plans. The remainder of the meeting was devoted to reviewing the draft standards and guidelines document, with a particular focus on the standards. The standards are intended to be legislated so it extremely important that they are considered fully to ensure they meet the intended objectives.

The cattle writing group will meet to discuss feedback and make appropriate changes to the next draft of the Cattle Welfare Standards and Guidelines. A further reference group meeting is possible in October 2010 to agree on the revised draft and an approach for the draft Regulation Impact Analysis.