Stephanie Sinclair
Stephanie Sinclair
Australian Animal Welfare Strategy Award Winner
Easing the pain in the beef industry
The welfare of their animals is a major priority for Australian beef producers.
Dehorning, for example, is commonly undertaken to help prevent injury to handlers and other cattle particularly while they are held in yards.
Stephanie Sinclair, a PhD student with CSIRO and Beef Genetic Technologies CRC, said that it will probably be some time before cattle can be bred without horns and that, in the interim, dehorning will remain necessary.
“But it could be practiced in conjunction with pain relief medication,” she said.
“However, industry needs to be convinced that this is both feasible and cost-effective.”
Stephanie will use her award to investigate the application of a topical anaesthetic and antiseptic for pain relief in northern beef cattle during dehorning.
“Tri-solfen, for example, has been successfully trialed in sheep, reducing pain-related behaviour and improved wound healing after procedures such as mulesing, tail-docking and castration,” she said.
“I aim to determine if Tri-solfen alone, or in combination with other pain relief methods, can reduce pain and blood loss after dehorning.
“The fact that this product can be applied at the time of surgery makes it a practical option that is more likely to be accepted and embraced by the industry.”
Stephanie said that it is important the impacts of dehorning are well understood so industry can not only satisfy concerns from animal welfare groups and the wider community, but also get on with the demanding job of raising beef cattle.
“Meeting concerns about animal welfare is not only the right thing to do, it will also enhance consumer confidence here and overseas.”
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