Welfare outcomes for livestock transported on Northern Isles ferry routes

Objective 1: Stakeholder engagement and scoping

An initial stakeholder meeting was held in May 2023 and replicated in June 2023 which was attended by stakeholders representing the following sectors of the industry: Scottish Government, ferry operator, auction marts, agricultural consultancy, veterinary surgery, local government, industry associations, farmer unions, animal welfare NGOs, national and local animal health bodies and abattoirs. Stevedore operators were engaged with separately. A scoping visit was made to Aberdeen and Orkney. One-to-one discussions were held with 17 stakeholders for deeper insight and to engage with those unable to attend the stakeholder meetings (stevedores, lairage managers and vessel masters (two from freight vessels and two from passenger ferries which carry some cassettes)). A final stakeholder meeting is planned for February 2024. A predominant view from stakeholders was that the current system is excellent and a substantial improvement for animal welfare and operational efficiency over the system used before the advent of the cassettes. We do not doubt the veracity of this statement, but note that this study could only quantitatively explore the current cassette system and not the system it replaced. Furthermore, stakeholders commented that a functioning system is in place for staff in Aberdeen receiving animals to feed-back to those on the Isles to refine practice and that this process has improved animal welfare over the years. Stakeholders also reported a high degree of customer satisfaction with animals supplied from the Northern Isles.