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Cattle page 2

Rest of World
Trading
Beef production tends to be concentrated, with the top six producers—the U.S., the European Union, Brazil, China, Argentina, and Russia—accounting for about 60 percent of global production. Significant shifts among producers have occurred over time.Cattle production worldwide is differentiated by animal genetics and feeding methods, resulting in differing quality types. Cattle are basically residual claimants to crop or land resources. Those countries with excess or low-value land tend to grass-feed their cattle herds, while those countries with excess feed grains, such as the U.S. and Canada, finish cattle with a grain ration. Grain-fed cattle have more internal fat (i.e., marbling) which results in a more tender meat than forage-fed cattle of a similar age. In some Asian countries such as Japan, which is not a grain surplus country, tastes and preferences have encouraged feeding grain to cattle, but at a high cost since the grain must be imported.[15]

Grass fed
Cut fodder being transported to feed cattle in Tanzania
Grass-fed cattle at a Walcha, NSW sale.
Stud Murray Grey cows receiving supplementary feeding during a drought.Grass fed or pasture-fed cattle, grass and other forage compose most all or at least the great majority of the grass fed diet. The debate is whether cattle should be raised on diets primarily composed of pasture (grass) or a concentrated diet of grain, soy and other supplements. The issue is often complicated by the political interests and confusion between labels such as "free range", "organic", or "natural". Cattle raised on a primarily forage diet are termed grass-fed or pasture-raised; for example meat or milk may be called grass-fed beef or pasture-raised dairy. However, the term "pasture-raised" can lead to confusion with the term "free range", which does not describe exactly what the animals eat. Another term is "grass-finished" which may mean either cattle fed exclusively, including finishing, on grass alone or cattle that have been fed grain up until finishing - at which time they're switched to grass.[citation needed]

Corn fed
Cattle in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are typically fed corn, soy and other types of feed that can include "by-product feedstuff" [citation needed]. As a high-starch, high-energy food, corn decreases the time to fatten cattle and increases yield from dairy cattle. These cattle are called corn-fed or grain-fed. In the United States, most grass fed cattle are raised for beef production. Dairy cattle are usually supplemented with grain to increase the efficiency of production and reduce the area needed to support the energy requirements of the herd. A growing number of health and environmental proponents in the United States such as the Union of Concerned Scientists advocate raising cattle on pasture and other forage. Some [who?] claim that the adoption of a grass-fed beef production system would dramatically increase the amount of land needed to raise beef [citation needed].

Health and nutrition
Fats
Most grass-fed cattle are leaner than feedlot beef, lacking marbling, which lowers the fat content and caloric level of the meat. Meat from grass-fed cattle also have higher levels of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) and the Omega-3 fatty acids ALA, EPA, and DHA.[16] While the research on CLA is unclear with regard to humans, it has shown many positive effects in animals in the areas of heart disease, cancer, and the immune system[citation needed].

Flax (or linseed) (Linum usitatissimum) is one of the most biologically available botanical sources of omega-3 fatty acid which is high in protein and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). Recently,research has been conducted involving the use of ground flax seeds as a fat supplement in cattle rations. Due to its nature of being high in protein and fats, it can easily replace other energy dense foods, such as corn. It is believed that the inclusion of omega-3 fatty acids in the diets of beef producing cattle will bring an increase in health to the animals and to the quality of carcass upon slaughter.[17] Some studies have found that feeding flax seeds may increase the omega-3 content and improve marbling in the carcass of the animal at slaughter while others have found no differences. Flax seeds, however, are beneficial in suppressing inflammatory effects from bovine respiratory disease (BRD) often affecting stressed cattle due to production practices such as transport and processing. BRD can lead to lung tissue damage and impair the performance of the cattle leading to a low final body mass at slaughter or premature death. Another effect of feeding flax in cattle ration is an observed increase in the daily dry matter intake [18] . This was observed in feeding a total dietary content of omega-3 fatty acids of under 10% of total feed. Although the direct beneficial effects of feeding omega-3 fatty acids remain uncertain, the preventative effect from feeding omega-3s to stressed cattle have shown great promise. Although flax feeds are greatly more expensive compared to other feeds, the economical benefits from having a generally healthier herd of cattle outweighs the cost.

Antibiotics
Antibiotics are commonly used in the food production system as a way to control the growth of potentially harmful bacteria.[citation needed] Potential benefits from the use of antibiotics include the prevention of diseases, increase in food and water uptake, and increase the digestive effectiveness of the animal. There are concerns however about residues of the antibiotics leaking into food products such as milk or in the carcass of animals. In Canada, The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) enforces standards which protects consumers by ensuring that foods produced will not contain antibiotics at a level which will cause harm to consumers.[10]

However, less intense population density is sometimes cited [19] as a reason for decreased antibiotic usage in grass-fed animals. However, bovine respiratory disease, the most common cause for antibiotic therapy has risk factors common in both forms of production (feedlot and pasture finished).[20]

In dairy herds, grazed cattle typically have a reduced need for antibiotics relative to grain-fed cattle, simply because the grazed herds are less productive[19]. A high-energy feedlot diet greatly increases milk output, measured in pounds or kilograms of milk per head per day, but it also increases animal physiological stress,[19] which in turn causes a higher incidence of mastitis and other infectious disease, more frequently requiring antibiotic therapy.

There are two distinctions between the clinical and nonclinical use of antibiotics in cows. Clinical use of antibiotics refers to the treatment of cows due to sickness. However, corn-fed cattle draw attention to the nonclinical use of antibiotics. Antibiotics are used to promote growth and treat sick cattle, yet the cattle would not get sick if they were not fed a corn-based diet that subjects them to diseases caused by the malfunctioning of their rumen.[21]

Safety Level of Antibiotic Use in Cattle
In Canada, the veterinary drug regulation, consisting of two federal government agencies, namely Health Canada(HC) and the CFIA, are responsible for implementing the Food and Drugs Act, and enforcing those standards and policies, respectively.[10]

Testing for Drug Residues samples include three(3) proper methods: monitoring, surveillance, and compliance. These procedures are given to Swab Test On Premises (STOP) to detect antibiotic residues in kidney tissues.[10]

Antibiotics and the Cattle Industry
Antibiotics are used in the cattle industry for therapeutic purposes where they are used in the treatment of infections, prophylactically for disease prevention, and as growth promoters. The latter means that there is an increased efficiency of feed use, where growth is stimulated with less feed. Ultimately, this results in reduced costs for cattle producers, and for consumers.[10]

Antibiotic Resistance
Antibiotic resistance is a naturally-occurring phenomenon throughout the entire world due to the overuse and/or inappropriate use of the substance. However, its usage is supported primarily because of its effectiveness in the treatment and prevention of diseases, as well as its role as growth promoters. Antibiotic is also present in antibacterial cleaning products, and in disinfection products used in farm and veterinary practices.[10] Therefore, antibiotic resistance could be on the rise.

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