About this webinar:
The demonstration was carried out in a Webinar 05.10. 2022. By Zoom.
the presentation was carried out Prof Patrick Pageat Dvm, MSc, PhD, Dipl ECAWBM-BM, Hon Dipl CLEVe, HDR Professor of Ethology and Animal Welfare EI Purpan (Toulouse – France).Chairman and Founder of IRSEA and moderated by Airi Külvet, who also translated questions from the audience.
Secure Cattle product is studied and used in different cattle production systems, more information was presented in studies with dairy cattle, but also beef cattle including fattening of beef cattle.
The trials have shown particularly reliable results in particular in the movement of weaned calves to fattening farms, as well as an improvement in meat quality during the transport of stressed animals to the slaughterhouse. As well as all transition periods for cows, for example when moving animals from winter pasture to summer pasture, etc. In the case of Estonia, it was only after this demonstration that the product became commercially available. But there was a lot of interest from farmers, a lot of them bought it and wanted to use it on weaned calves before selling.
What were the main obstacles in implementing this innovation?
The main obstacle was the lack of a product on the market. However, as we brought the distributor to the information day, the first samples and batches are already on sale. The price per animal is not too high and, in most cases, weaned animals are still weighed before sale, so it is easy to apply the product.
What additional costs/savings occurred in implementing this innovation?
The additional cost is the cost of the product per animal, which is about 5€/head. However, research shows a significant increase in gain if other weaning practices are done correctly, as well as a significant reduction in bruising in animals going to slaughter for meat.
Would you recommend this innovation to other farmers in your area?
Yes, we recommend farmers to use this tool. Even if large gains in carcass weights are not always achieved, attention to animal welfare is already a substantial improvement.