Double D Family Mat Shop has been creating woven, non-slip rubber floor mats (also known as Cattle Mats) for more than fifteen years. The floor mats, made from used tires, eliminate falls in livestock processing facilities by nearly 100 percent.
Temple Grandin, Ph.D., has been a champion of the mats saying, "Non-slip flooring is essential for humane, safe cattle handling. Double D Family Mat Shop's woven cattle mats are excellent for high traffic areas such as scales, unloading areas and processing facilities."
In Grandin's Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines Audit Guide: A Systematic Approach to Animal Welfare, published by the AMI Foundation, Grandin notes "Humane, efficient handling is very difficult on slick floors because animals can become agitated and excited when they lose their footing. All areas where livestock walk should have a non-slip surface."
Company owner and developer of the mats, Dale Goetz, created them for use in his own feedlot and soon found a use for them in packing plants, as well.
“Some of our packing plant customers process 4,000 head a day. They typically put the mats on their loading docks to protect from slipping as the cattle exit trailers," Goetz said.
The mats last approximately two years with this much traffic. Placing mats on each of four unloading docks will cost around $5,000 total. A plant that runs approximately two million head across the mats in two years will spend less than a penny per head.
"At that rate many of our customers are finding it risky to not install the mats,” Goetz said.
In fact, many processing plants are finding that USDA inspectors insist that they install the mats. The USDA's educational guidebook, Humane Handling of Livestock and Poultry: An Educational Guidebook Based on FSIS Policies states that, "An animal must have adequate traction with the floor for proper movement, particularly in the stunning box."
Double D Mats are a simple, affordable solution for both small and large facilities. In addition to reducing falls, the mats reduce stress and noise, allowing a comfortable walk while also ensuring that cattle don't slip on slick, unforgiving surfaces.
Double D Cattle Mats are made by weaving together discarded tire treads and then fastening them with stainless steel bolts, making them virtually indestructible. They're heavy, too, so they don't move often in heavily traveled areas. They are great for alleyways, sale barns, vet clinics, packing plants, trailers and anywhere livestock encounter slick surfaces.
Double D Family Mat Shop, Inc., is a family-owned and operated manufacturer of custom-built livestock slip reduction systems. Our heavy-duty, rubber mats protect livestock and employees from potentially costly injury in heavy loading and processing areas. Learn more about Double D Family Mat Shop at www.ddfamilymats.net.
