Ottawa—New federal livestock transportation regulations are disappointing when it comes to the best outcome for animals and poultry being shipped, agrifood groups say.The Canadian Cattlemen's Association said in a statement the Canadian Food Inspection Agency should have waited for the completion of research funded in part by Agriculture Canada on best practices to ensure animal welfare is safeguarded during transport. So far the study shows 99.95 per cent of cattle shipped to slaughter plants arrive in good condition.Rather than improve the situation for the .05 per cent that don't, the CFIA regulations that come into effect next February “will likely increase stress to cattle and opportunity for injury,” it said. “This is mostly due to the changes in regulations requiring more loading and unloading for rest stops.”Gary Stordy of the Canadian Pork Council said, “CFIA missed the opportunity to truly modernize these regulations. Our preference would have been to see a more outcome-based approach to the regulations. We believe the welfare of animals in transit is dependent on a wide variety of conditions, from vehicle condition to weather to handling and it is difficult to be able to describe every possible situation in which animals may be transported.“Outcome-based approaches allow transporters and animal handlers the flexibility needed to ensure good animal welfare by identifying best practices to ensure the animals arrive in at their destination safely,” he said. “We will take the time to review the new regulations and to better understand the impact on our sector. Our producers are committed to continuous efforts to improve their practices.”The Council is participating in research to develop new trailers specifically designed for transporting live animals, he said. “We are also fully engaged in the National Farmed Animal Health and Welfare Council's review of the transportation codes.”Last year 20 million market weight hogs were shipped to federally inspected plants, he said. “CFIA's public information states that for every 10,000 animals shipped 37 animals, or 0.3 per cent were found to be sick, injured or found dead at arrival.”Robin Horel, President and CEO of the Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors Council, said there are a lot of subtle changes for his sector in the new regulations. Generally poultry is shipped short distances for processing.He said the emergence of a dedicated livestock trucking sector with trained drivers and specialized equipment has greatly improved the situation. “We realized our record in this matter was a competitive for the industry.” The poultry sector twice a year meets with CFIA to show them the data its transportation data. “We've improved every year for the last decade. We've put a lot of effort into our live haul and spent a lot of money on equipment. The truck drivers have monitors in the cabs which show conditions in the trailer.“We should be getting good results as the industry has invested a lot of money and time in training and better equipment,” he said. The drivers and farmers are trained through the Canadian Livestock transport certification program on proper preparation of livestock for transportation and loading practices. “They have to check the condition of the flock ad make sure they're fit to be loaded.”One major challenge is what the driver should do if there is a dramatic change in the weather during a trip.CCA said animal shipping research “will collect data through 2021 and is being conducted using commercial cattle, transport trailers, and drivers under typical commercial distances and conditions in Canada, as it is important to base regulations on directly relatable conditions and scenarios. This research will inform science-based industry best practices to ensure animal welfare is safeguarded during transport.”Further, the regulations have disregarded recommendations made by cattle producers drawing from years of practical hands-on expertise in handling and minimizing stress on their animals.“We believe the revised regulations are premature and incomplete,” CCA said. “To ensure proper process, specific proposals need to be researched to understand how they affect the wellbeing of the animal. Without fully evaluating unknowns such as the stress of unloading and reloading versus the stress of completing the journey, the effects of temperature, trailer design, loading densities as well as whether rest stops do, in fact, relieve stress, the government is taking a risky approach with the revised regulations that we anticipate will move industry's good record away from, rather than closer to, 100 per cent.”Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.