Implementation of Animal Welfare Standards on Livestock Vessels and Their Impact on Cattle Weight Loss and Financial Benefits

The use of dedicated livestock vessels, such as the Camara Nusantara (CN) fleet, is part of the Indonesian government's strategy to improve the efficiency of inter-island livestock transportation and welfare standards. This study evaluates the implementation of animal welfare principles on CN vessels, assesses their impact on cattle weight loss during transport, and the associated economic benefits. The research was conducted in August 2024, focusing on cattle shipments from East Nusa Tenggara (ENT) via Tenau Seaport to Samarinda (East Kalimantan) using the CN-5 vessel. Primary data were collected through direct observation, interviews, and physical measurements of 135 randomly selected cattle across three decks (Deck A, B and C) by Slovin's formula with a 7.5 acceptable margin of error. Environmental conditions (temperature and humidity), feed and water provision, and welfare practices were monitored throughout the voyage. Structural adjustments to the vessel, particularly regarding conditions on Deck C, are recommended because this deck showed the most favorable Temperature-Humidity Index (THI)—a metric combining ambient temperature and humidity to assess thermal stress in cattle. Improving feed quality supplied by livestock traders during transport may reduce live weight loss. CN vessel operators should optimize blowers and ventilation systems to maintain humidity and temperature levels conducive to animal comfort, thereby mitigating weight loss. Weight loss was measured pre-and post-transport. A Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA) and one-way ANOVA were applied to evaluate economic outcomes and differences across decks. The results indicated that implementing animal welfare standards reduced cattle weight loss, which ranged from 4.6 to 7.6, with an average of 6.3. Contributing factors included sufficient feed and water, adequate ventilation, and stress management. The BCA result of 1.243 (>1) confirms a positive financial return due to reduced weight loss and lower transport costs. Applying animal welfare principles in livestock transport is crucial to maintain animal performance, safeguard welfare, and ensure economic sustainability within Indonesia's livestock supply chain. © 2025 the authors. Licensee ResearchersLinks Ltd, England, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).