Findings in cattle consigned to Victorian knackeries between 2009 and 2018.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the causes of death or culling in cattle in Victoria, Australia, through surveillance at knackeries. METHODS: Data were collected from 2797 adult cattle consigned to four Victorian knackeries over a 10-year period (2009-2018, inclusive). Cattle were sampled either at the point of collection or at a knackery. A single best-fit diagnosis was assigned to each case to describe the cause of loss. RESULTS: Sampled cattle were predominantly female dairy cattle originating from the three main dairying regions in Victoria. The most commonly diagnosed conditions were calving paralysis (6.8%), followed by mastitis (6.4%), hypocalcaemia (6.4%) and dystocia (5.9%). "Unknown" accounted for 24.2% of the cattle examined. CONCLUSION: This study provides a unique insight into the causes of death and culling in cattle consigned to Victorian knackeries. The periparturient period was identified as a high risk period for knackery consignment in adult female cattle.