Managing the consumption of foreign bodies, specifically with bale wrap and other plastic materials commonly used in production systems, is not always easy, but it is important.
“Preventing ingestion of plastics is done the same way you prevent ingestion of staples and other pieces of hardware,” says Alberta, Canada, producer and Alberta Beef Producers delegate Assar Grinde. “You need to be diligent and spend the extra time and effort collecting the material. In the winter, especially on older bales, the twine and net wrap can be a real pain to remove.
“I drop the bales a few times before I cut the twine, which helps break up the frozen chunks but, inevitably, there are small pieces of bale with plastic frozen into them. I take them back to the yard and leave them overnight in a heated shop, and they bust apart easily in the morning. It is a hassle, but the alternative is a mess in the field and hazard to the cattle.”
When asked how much foreign body ingestion does it take before it becomes an issue, specifically as it applies to bale-wrapping materials, Dr. Cody Creelman of Veterinary Agri-Health Services, offers an honest “it depends.”
“It depends on how long that particle size is. If you are shredding, and there’s multiple small particles, you are going to get some passing through the system,” Creelman says. “Where the bigger issue comes in, though, is the longer particle pieces and then what else is in the rumen: What is the level of fiber? Are there other foreign objects or plastics already in their system?
That is going to change how much and at what rate they pass those objects. Are there other things in the rumen, such as plastic bags and garbage, that can all kind of bind together to make this one massive foreign body?”
Incidentally, diagnosis of ingestion of bale wrap, plastics – or any foreign body for that matter – can be difficult before the animal perishes.
“Unfortunately, the signs antemortem are quite nondescript. You could have animals that are lower body condition ... or you could see chronic bloating problems as well,” Creelman says. “We call them ADRs in vet med – ‘ain’t doing right.’ A nondescript, she doesn’t have a fever, but she’s not gaining weight. She doesn’t look great; she looks a little bit off, so it’s hard for us to tell what is really going on there. From a vet diagnosis standpoint, it can be done, but from a producer’s standpoint, it’s really, really tricky.”
As for the best thing producers can do to get ahead of plastic ingestion becoming a detriment to numerous animals in a herd? “If there are issues, and you are perhaps experiencing it – you are having some animals that are dying, definitely get a postmortem diagnosis. I think that is where we have gotten the best intervention, getting in there early and determining what is actually going on before it becomes a larger issue,” Creelman summarizes.
Geographical trends
Interestingly, Creelman has noticed some geographical patterns in the types of foreign bodies consumed.
“It is very geography-dependent based on the culture of the producers at the time,” Creelman says. “In western Canada, a lot of our ranches are 100 years old or less; they are still fairly wide open, expansive.”
By comparison, he says other areas have older barn with old wood and metal, making an opportunity for hardware disease.
“In my geographical area, it’s fairly uncommon for us to see things like the traditional hardware disease. And the same things go for bale wrapping. I find that bale wrapping is very geographical as well.”
Creelman notes these are patterns he sees in overall animal husbandry practices.
“I think when it comes with issues like that, it becomes not only ‘What is the prevalence in that area of people using those bale wraps?’ but also, on top of that, ‘How are they feeding? What is the geographical flavor in feeding? Is that bale grazing? Is everyone using a bale processor? Is everyone using a bale feeder?’”
The true underpinning to these patterns, Creelman says, is the word-of-mouth nature within those regions wherein herd issues spread easily.
One example he highlights is whether or not to remove bale wrapping: “One producer has one issue one time, and then once again the whole county is trying to take the wraps off because one farmer had an issue, and the vet said it was likely due to bale wrap. It’s really so dependent on that local flavor.”
However, management practices evolve into their own regional timeline, Creelman has found. What was once an issue in one region could very well be a non-issue today.
Specifically speaking to bale wrapping, Creelman notes, “There’s certainly an issue of time here, too – it would have been an issue 10 years ago. But now producers are doing things differently, whether they are switching to different bale processors or the brand name of the bale wrap, or just how they are feeding it in general. It all plays a factor [in the prevalence of bale wrap ingestion].”
Bale wrap issues
There’s no doubt bale wrap was a game-changer for hay storage in North America, and the industry is working to evolve the types of wrap commercially available.
“Net wrap is so time-efficient when you are baling; twine can’t really compete. The big game-changer will be when we get a price-competitive, biodegradable or edible twine/net wrap,” Grinde says. “Sisal twine exists but is much too expensive to be competitive. Hemp may become a part of the answer, or some of the biodegradable plastics that are being researched.
While there will always be a need for products that will retain their strength for multiple years, it would be nice to have some options in what we can use to wrap bales.”
Creelman notes while biodegradable bale wraps might save some pasture management time for producers, it is not broken down in the animal’s system.
“None of the bale wraps to date that are commercially available digest at all. Even the biodegradable ones do not break down in the rumen because the biodegradability is based off of UV light; the UV light is what breaks down the plastic polymers,” Creelman says.
Unfortunately, as many producers would attest to, bale wrap can cause physical issues outside of the digestive tract as well.
“When those bale-wrapping materials don’t break down in the environment, they can create other problems as well,” adds Dr. Garry Franklin, Colorado State University veterinary extension specialist. “I have seen them wrapped around feet and legs, cutting through the skin and causing very severe lameness, and have seen them wrapped around animals’ heads and necks as well.”
Ultimately, it’s a matter of managing your pastures and pens in the best way possible.
“It’s really just a matter of management,” Creelman summarizes. “Geographical trends don’t hold a candle to proper management.” 
PHOTO: An image is shown of a plastic glob from a cow’s system by ingesting plastic. Dr. Cody Creelman notes this particular animal “went to burp one day, and that glob was in the wrong place, and she burped it up in her esophagus, and it got plugged. She bloated and eventually perished because she couldn’t get any more gas off. That example, she was the third cow in that herd that day I pulled plastic gloves out of their esophagi, and the seventh cow that had died in two days due to plastic ingestion.” Photo courtesy of Cody Creelman.
Danielle Schlegel is a freelance writer based in Whitewood, South Dakota.
