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Red meat and animal wellbeing

To ensure red meat is good for you, the Australian red meat industry works tirelessly to do good by and for its animals, ensuring they have the best quality of life.

How the red meat industry delivers animal wellbeing?

Australian farmers care about their animals and want to ensure they are as pain and stress free as possible. By complying with Australia’s animal welfare standards and by developing and introducing innovative ways to phase out old practices like dehorning, we make sure sheep, cattle and goats are able to live a good life.

Animal wellbeing insights

Keen to learn more about red meat and animal welfare? Simply choose a topic of interest from the drop-down menu.

Meet the Maddens

Meet the Maddens

Barb Madden explains why the health and welfare of their animals is the Smithfield Cattle Company’s top priority.

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Frequently asked questions

  • How are cattle, sheep and goats treated on farms?

    Australian farmers work hard to give their livestock the best care possible, and follow best-practice guidelines designed to protect the welfare and wellbeing of animals.

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  • How are livestock treated when being transported

    The transportation of livestock is a tightly regulated process in Australia. Everyone involved in the care and management of transported livestock is focused on ensuring that each animal arrives in good condition, free of stress and injury.

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  • How are animals treated when exported live?

    Animal wellbeing is critical during live exports and the industry has made big improvements in this area. To ensure the best possible treatment, 26 animal-welfare indicators are measured onboard livestock export vessels. These cover nutrition, environment, health, behaviour and mental state.

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  • How are Australian animals treated on feedlots?

    Feedlots are purpose-built facilities where livestock are provided with a balanced grain-based diet to help them reach their quality potential. All aspects of their welfare are planned and monitored by trained staff in this highly regulated industry.

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  • How are livestock treated during processing?

    In line with its mission to ensure that high standards of animal welfare are implemented, maintained and verified, the meat processing industry has proactively developed its own animal welfare standards and certification system to ensure animal wellbeing is its top priority.

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  • What pain relief is available for farm animals?

    Keeping animals pain-free is a fundamental priority for the Australian red meat industry. Standards and guidelines are in place to support the use of pain relief in unavoidable aversive procedures. The beef industry aspires to 100% use of pain relief for these procedures by 2030. Pain relief products available in Australia for sheep, cattle and goats include fast-acting/short-lasting local anesthetics and slow-acting but longer lasting analgesics.

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Intro background

Farmers care for the animals

Australian farmers personally care for their animals and work tirelessly to ensure they are healthy and happy.

Read more
Better quality meat

Better quality meat

Minimising animal stress during red meat production is not just the right thing to do, it also produces higher quality meat.

Learn more
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