Table 2.

Categorical ranking of good feeding and appropriate environment measures in the New Zealand cow-calf protocol.

Welfare Principles	Welfare Criteria	Animal Welfare Measure/Indicator	Scoring Description	Categorical Ranking
Good feeding	Absence of hunger	Body condition score (thin cows)	% thin in herd of score (score 1–4 on 1–10 scale; [22])	0: 0–5.0% 1: 5.1–10% 2: >10%
		Rumen fill score (hungry cows)	% of animals with hollow/ empty rumen observed in the race	0: 0–20.0% 1: 20.1–50% 2: >50%
	Absence of thirst	Distance and availability of water	Average distance to access water	0: 0–250.0 m 1: 250.1 ≤500 m 2: >500 m.
Appropriate environment	Comfort around resting	Short tail	% of observed cows with shortened tail	0: 0.0% 1: 0.1–2% 2: >2%
		Dirty body	Total number of animals assessed as having dirty tail, hind and flank	0: 0–10.0% 1: 10.1–20% 2: >20%
	Thermal comfort	Shade	Subjective assessment of shade in the paddocks (presence of trees, shrubs, galleys, man-made canopies)	0: sufficient 2: insufficient
	Ease of movement	Absence of hazardous objects/environment	Hazardous objects observed in the yard and paddocks (i.e., tomos *, sharp objects lying around)	0: no hazards 1: 1–2 hazards 2: 3 or more hazards or animals dying in any hazard)

* Tomos are underground caverns usually containing a watercourse, with small openings to the surface into which cattle can fall and die (animals dying in tomo was given a score 2 hazards).