Mortality and risk transfer
Version 2026-09-v1 · Last updated 07 September 2026
The movement of live animals carries inherent risk, and responsibility for that risk shifts at a defined point in every order. Until an animal is handed into your care, it remains our responsibility; from that moment, it becomes yours. What follows explains where that line falls, the position should an animal be injured or lost before it, what we will do about it, and what we ask of you on delivery.
When responsibility passes to you
Ownership of and risk in an animal pass to you when the animal is handed over: at the point of collection, where you collect, or on delivery and acceptance, where we deliver. Up to that point, the animal remains at our risk. The table below sets out how that principle applies at each stage of an order.
| Stage of the order | Where responsibility lies | What is asked of you |
|---|---|---|
| Before the animal is handed over | With The Cattle Exchange | Nothing; the animal remains in our care. |
| In transit, where we arrange delivery | With The Cattle Exchange, until you accept the animal | Examine the animal on arrival and tell us at once of any concern. |
| In transit, where you collect and carry the animal yourself | With you, from the moment it is loaded | Bring transport suited to the animal, and satisfy yourself as to its condition before you load it. |
| On collection, or on delivery and acceptance | With you | Satisfy yourself as to the animal’s condition before you accept it; from that point, the risk is yours. |
Where an animal is being processed at your election, it remains at our risk while it is in the hands of the abattoir and the cutting facility we appointed, and until the resulting meat is delivered to you and accepted. The point at which a live animal ceases to be returnable is a separate question, and it is dealt with in our returns and cancellations policy.
If an animal is injured or lost in our care
Should an animal that we are delivering be injured or die before you have accepted it, please notify us within twenty-four hours of delivery, or of the intended delivery, together with any photographs you are able to provide. Tell us as soon as you can even if you cannot yet provide anything else; the twenty-four hours is about the notification, not about assembling a file.
We will investigate the matter with the transporter concerned. Where an animal at our risk is lost, dies or is so injured that it is no longer what you bought, we will at your election either refund you in full for that animal, including any delivery and processing charge attributable to it, or replace it with an equivalent animal at no additional cost to you, subject to one being available. We do not require you to claim against the transporter; our arrangements with our providers are our own concern and are not passed on to you.
Our liability in respect of an animal lost or injured while at our risk is limited to that refund or replacement, together with any other liability that may not lawfully be excluded. It does not extend to loss of profit, loss of a breeding or trading opportunity, loss of production, or any other indirect or consequential loss, as set out in our terms of sale.
Insuring your animals after handover
From the moment an animal is handed over it is yours and at your risk, and it is no longer covered by anything we hold. Livestock mortality cover is widely available in South Africa, and we recommend that you arrange it before you take delivery, particularly for a high-value animal or one that faces a long journey home in your own transport.
If you are collecting an animal yourself, remember that the risk passes to you at loading rather than when you get home. That is the point at which your own cover needs to be in place.