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Managing Bobby Calves On Farm

By Department of Primary Industries - 31st August 2004 - Back to News

Farmers, calf buyers and transporters should be aware of their obligations to ensure the welfare of bobby calves and are advised that Animal Health and Welfare Staff of the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) will be inspecting calves at saleyards, calf depots, scales and at abattoirs this season.

If calves are found to be weak and suffering as a result of non-compliance with the bobby calf provisions of the Code of Accepted Farming Practice for the Welfare of Cattle, penalties will apply. Copies of this Code are available from DPI Offices at Bairnsdale, Maffra, Leongatha, Ellinbank and Box Hill.

To avoid penalties under the regulations, you need to follow the basic requirements of presenting calves for sale.

Bobby calves presented for sale must be:

• At least four days old (on their fifth day of life);
• Have a dry withered navel cord;
• Been fed four litres of milk or colostrum daily (two litres night and morning) and fed within 6 hours prior to delivery to the point of sale or collection;
• Are over 23 kilograms of liveweight;
• Are clean, warm and dry;
• Free of antibacterial residues;
• Tagged with an approved bobby calf ear tag;
• Are strong enough to be transported for sale or slaughter.

Bobby calf managers should note that calves out of Gippsland routinely travel long distances to abattoirs in northern and western Victoria and it is essential that calves are well prepared on farm and well managed after they leave the farm, if they are to arrive in good condition at their destination.

Calves should also be well fed before they leave the farm as the majority of calves are slaughtered the day after they leave the farm of origin with many slaughtered up to 36 hours following their last feed.

Individual identification of bobby calves is a valuable aid to bobby calf management. A system should be in place to record the date of birth and identity of each calf to ensure that calves are not sold until their fifth day of life. Bobby calf ear tags have a unique "running number" as well as the property identification number. The running number can be recorded against the date of birth of the calf. Other systems including calf collars made out of twine or rubber inner-tubes can be used to keep track of the age of the calf and the appropriate sale day.

Very young calves do not cope well with the stress of transportation. Big Friesian bull calves that have been sold when only a day or two old, because they have a higher birth weight and appear strong on the farm, do not transport well.

Umbilical cords dry very quickly when calves are kept in a dry warm environment on bedding such as sawdust, wood shavings, rice hulls etc; there is no excuse for selling bobby calves with fresh wet cords.

The code of practice states that during transportation, calves should have sufficient space to lie down and that the vehicle used to transport calves should have an enclosed front (for wind protection) and a non slip floor. Current recommendations for space requirements for calves during transportation are a minimum of 0.28 square meters per each 25kg calf, 0.3 square meters for each 35kg calf and 0.33 square meters for each 45kg calf.

Calves showing any sign of weakness or illness, including scours must not be sold. If the resources are not available to treat and retain these calves until they are fit to travel and free of any antibacterial residues, they should be slaughtered humanely on farm.

A bobby calf declaration has been developed with the assistance of all sectors of the bobby calf industry to assist producers document the animal welfare and residue status of bobby calves consigned for slaughter.

For more information on bobby calf management contact your local DPI Animal Health and Welfare staff.

OBSERVE WITHHOLDING PERIODS

When using chemicals on the farm be aware that there may well be a withholding period (WHP) associated with their use. The WHP is the minimum period that must elapse between the last application of a particular product and one or other of the following:

• The harvesting of a crop.
• The grazing of a treated pasture.
• The slaughter of treated animals for consumption.
• The feeding of treated produce to food‑producing animals.
• The offering for sale of produce such as meat or milk from treated animals.
• The timing of administration of a chemical product in relation to time of calving.

Together with correct application practices, observance of the WHP is essential to ensure that unacceptable residues do not occur in produce. It is now a legal requirement to observe the WHP. The responsibility for WHPs rests with the owner of the crop or animals. If the WHP has not expired prior to harvest or slaughter, the owner must provide notice in writing to the purchaser to that effect.

If produce is treated post‑harvest by a person who is not the owner of the produce, such as a grain handler, written permission of the owner must be obtained.

DPI's Chemical Information Service (CIS) provides accurate information on all farm chemical matters. To contact CIS phone (03) 9210 9379, fax (03) 9210 9298 or visit our website www.dpi.vic.gov.au/chemicalstandards

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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