Guidelines for humane handling, transport and slaughter of

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Guidelines for humane handling, transport and slaughter of livestock
To make an animal move forward, the handler must be
behind the point of balance at the shoulder. To get the animal to
move backwards, the handler must stand in front of the point of
balance. Figure 13 illustrates handler movement patterns, which
make it possible to reduce the use of electric prods or goads. Cattle,
sheep or pigs will move forward in a race when a handler passes by
the animal in the opposite direction of the desired animal movement.
The handler must move quickly in order to pass the point of balance
at the shoulder to make the animal move forward. The animal will
not move forward until the handler passes the shoulder and reaches
its hips.
Fig. 13: Handler movement pattern to keep cattle
moving into a squeeze chute or restrainer
Return path
leaving flight zone
Path to move animals forward
Point of
balance
Cattle will move forward when the
handler passes the point of balance at the
shoulder of each animal. The handler
walks in the opposite direction along side
the single file race.