Navel Healing and Calf Fitness for Transport

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In the dairy industry, for male calves, the costing and balancing of animal welfare and farmers’ interests when determining the optimum age for a calf to leave the farm of origin is a challenge. In the European Union, calves whose navel has not “completely healed” cannot be transported. This study aimed to clarify what is meant by “navel healing”, as no specific definition is provided by the law, giving raise to different interpretations. The navels of 299 dairy calves (55 males, 244 females) aged 0–90 days were examined and scored. Our results show that a completely dry and shriveled navel stump entails a high risk of transporting too young calves, whilst the presence of a scab covering the umbilical wound could be considered acceptable for short journeys, as the risk of transporting calves that are too young is low. “Navel healing” should be defined as the scarring of the umbilical wound, which occurs no earlier than 3–4 weeks of life. Transporting calves with a completely healed navel should be considered best practice because it ensures that calves that are too young are not transported and therefore guarantees higher animal welfare standards. ABSTRACT: Dairy male calves are at risk of welfare compromise as they are usually transported at a very young age. The European Union has set a “completely healed navel” requirement for calf transport; moreover, a minimum age is established for longer journeys. However, this requirement has proven to be prone to misinterpretation. This study aimed to clarify what is meant by “navel healing” and to provide strong elements for reaching a consensus. The navels of 299 dairy calves (55 males, 244 females) aged 0–90 days were examined and scored 1 to 5 according to their healing status. Based on our results, a completely dry and shriveled navel (score 3) would imply a 25.5–38.0% risk of transporting too young calves. Alternatively, the presence of a scab covering the umbilical wound (score 4) would entail a 4.3% risk of transporting calves less than 10 days old and could be considered good practice for transporting calves (except for journeys exceeding 8 h). Conversely, complete navel healing (score 5) guarantees that calves that are too young are not transported; therefore, it should be considered best practice for transporting calves in general and the minimum requirement for transporting calves for journeys exceeding 8 h.