A scientific study of young cattle transported to Spain from Ireland has challenged the usefulness of strict new regulations which are about to be imposed by Brussels.
Irish cattle exporters and farm organisations believe the new draft regulations, which dramatically cut the density of animals carried on trucks and place severe limits on the duration of journeys, could wipe out the cattle export trade here.
Studies carried out by Dr Bernadette Earley of the Teagasc Grange Research Centre found there was no evidence to suggest the land and sea journey affected the health or performance of the animals post-transport.
Further research on the impact of the new stocking density in trucks led her to conclude there was no advantage in transporting animals at the revised stocking density of 1.27 square metres as opposed to the old one of 0.85 square metres.
According to a report in Bord Bia's Market Monitor publication, Dr Early focused her investigation on the effects of transporting cattle from here to Spain under the present EU regulations.
As part of this study, 52 weanling heifers sourced from 10 farms were transported by road and sea to Spain. At the same time a further 28 heifers, which were weaned during the same period, were kept on control farms in Ireland. Both groups were blood sampled and weighed at corresponding times.
The heifers exported to Spain lost, on average, 7.6 per cent of their body weight during the sea crossing to France. However, by the time they arrived in Spain they had regained 3.3 per cent of their body weight and had fully recovered their pre-transport live weight values within six days of arriving in Spain.
In conclusion, Dr Earley found that while there was some evidence that transport affected physiological and immunological parameters, there was no evidence that it adversely affected the health or the performance of the animals post-transport.
As part of the density study, 29 young bulls were transported by road on a 12-hour journey while a further 16 young bulls were housed at a control farm.
The results of the study showed there were no significant variations or changes in the performance or live weights of the animals whether they were transported at the old stocking density or at the new stocking density.
As a result, Dr Earley concluded that there was no advantage in transporting animals at the revised stocking density.
To date, Irish live cattle exports are running at more than 135 per cent or 32,000 head higher than the same period last year, mostly to Spain which took more than half of the total exports of 56,425 animals, Holland took more than 13,000 and Italy over 3,300 head. Exports to the Lebanon are double those of this time last year.