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An J, Kim Y, Song M, Choi J, Yun W, Oh H, Chang S, Go Y, Song D, Cho H, Park S, Kim Y, Park Y, Park G, Oh S, Cho J. Effect of loading density and weather conditions on animal welfare and meat quality of slaughter pigs. JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 2023; 65:1323-1340. [PMID: 38616884 PMCID: PMC11007295 DOI: 10.5187/jast.2023.e34] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
There are several factors that affect the welfare and meat quality of pigs during pre-slaughter transport. Among various factors, the effects of weather conditions and loading density were studied. A total of 3,726 finishing pigs were allotted to one of nine groups arranged in a 3 × 3 factorial design according to the weather conditions (low temperature [LT], under 10°C; normal temperature [NT], 10°C-24°C; high temperature [HT], upper 24°C), and loading density (low density [LD], upper 0.43 m2/100 kg; normal density [ND], 0.37-0.43 m2/100 kg; high density [HD], under 0.37 m2/100 kg). Each treatment group follow as: LTLD, LTND, LTHD, NTLD, NTND, NTHD, HTLD, HTND, HTHD. In terms of carcass composition, pigs had the highest carcass weight and backfat thickness at LT. Comparing the HD transport to the ND transport, the meat quality indicated a lower pH and more drip loss. The incidence rate of pale, soft, exudative (PSE) pork was high in the order of the HD, LD, and the ND transport (20%, 9%, and 2%, respectively). The HT transport showed the lowest pH and greatest L* value under the given weather conditions. Pigs transported under the HTHD and LTLD conditions had the greatest rates of PSE pork (40% and 20%, respectively). Pigs exposed to HD transport had the shortest laying time and the highest overplap behavior. The LDLT transport pigs had a shorter laying time than the LDNT and LDHT transport pigs. In conclusion, too high or too low density transport is generally not excellent for meat quality or animal welfare, however it is preferable to transport at a slightly low density at high temperature and at a slightly high density at low temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaewoo An
- Department of Animal Sciences, Chungbuk
National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
| | - Yongju Kim
- Department of Animal Sciences, Chungbuk
National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
| | - Minho Song
- Department of Animal Science and
Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134,
Korea
| | - Jungseok Choi
- Department of Animal Sciences, Chungbuk
National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
| | - Won Yun
- Central Research Institute, Woosung Feed
Co., Ltd, Daejeon 34379, Korea
| | - Hanjin Oh
- Department of Animal Sciences, Chungbuk
National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
| | - Seyeon Chang
- Department of Animal Sciences, Chungbuk
National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
| | - Youngbin Go
- Department of Animal Sciences, Chungbuk
National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
| | - Dongcheol Song
- Department of Animal Sciences, Chungbuk
National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
| | - Hyunah Cho
- Department of Animal Sciences, Chungbuk
National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
| | - Sanghun Park
- Department of Animal Sciences, Chungbuk
National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
| | - Yuna Kim
- Department of Animal Sciences, Chungbuk
National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
| | - Yunhwan Park
- Department of Animal Sciences, Chungbuk
National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
| | - Gyutae Park
- Department of Animal Sciences, Chungbuk
National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
| | - Sehyuk Oh
- Department of Animal Sciences, Chungbuk
National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
| | - Jinho Cho
- Department of Animal Sciences, Chungbuk
National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea
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Andoni E, Cocoli S, Miraglia D, Balzaretti CM, Brecchia G, Bijo B, Menchetti L, Musa L, Curone G, Agradi S, Kumbe I, Zalla P, Gjoni E, Bixheku X, Castrica M. Ante-mortem and Post-mortem Inspection and Relationship between Findings in a North Albanian Pig Slaughterhouse. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13061032. [PMID: 36978573 PMCID: PMC10044242 DOI: 10.3390/ani13061032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
In June 2014, Albania was granted EU candidate status, thus starting a process of compliance with the membership criteria. In this context, a modern meat inspection approach in line with the European legislation was applied to a pig slaughterhouse in northern Albania in order to investigate the ante-mortem (AM) and post-mortem (PM) conditions and the relationship between these findings. For this purpose, 3930 pigs divided into 35 batches were evaluated over a 3-month period. The most frequent AM conditions recorded were tail lesions and dyspnea (9.1%), followed by skin (8.9%) and ear lesions (8.5%), while in the PM inspections, pleuritis was the most frequently observed condition (10.2%), followed by pneumonia (8.5%), liver alterations (5.7%), milk spot liver (3.8%), and pericarditis (3.3%). With the exception of liver alterations, the other PM lesions mentioned were positively associated with lesions on the ears (OR = 1.036; p < 0.001) and skin (OR = 1.026; p = 0.011) and dyspnea (OR = 1.021; p = 0.005), confirming the link between these variables and the health and welfare conditions of pigs on farms. Overall, the evidence that emerged from this Albanian slaughterhouse can be considered in line with other European contexts, especially in light of the considerable variability in the data present in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Egon Andoni
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural University of Albania, 1029 Kamez, Albania
| | - Sonila Cocoli
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural University of Albania, 1029 Kamez, Albania
| | - Dino Miraglia
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Claudia M. Balzaretti
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Gabriele Brecchia
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Bizena Bijo
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural University of Albania, 1029 Kamez, Albania
| | - Laura Menchetti
- School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Gentile III da Varano, 62032 Camerino, Italy
| | - Laura Musa
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Via San Costanzo 4, 06126 Perugia, Italy
| | - Giulio Curone
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Stella Agradi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Ilirian Kumbe
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural University of Albania, 1029 Kamez, Albania
| | - Pellumb Zalla
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural University of Albania, 1029 Kamez, Albania
| | - Edison Gjoni
- National Authority of Veterinary and Plant Protection, Rr “Jordan Misja”, Pall 14/1 shk, 1001 Tirane, Albania
| | - Xhilola Bixheku
- Quality Assurance Agency in Higher Education, Rruga Durrsit, Nr 219, 1001 Tirane, Albania
| | - Marta Castrica
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy
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Hernandez RO, Romero MH, Sanchez JA. Assessment of slaughterhouse-based measures as animal welfare indicators in fattening pigs. FRONTIERS IN ANIMAL SCIENCE 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fanim.2023.1064933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, there has been growing interest in the assessment of animal welfare in slaughterhouses. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of slaughter-based measures as animal welfare indicators and evaluate the relationships between these indicators and the sociodemographic characteristics of livestock drivers and transport conditions for fattening pigs in a commercial slaughterhouse. A total of 1,161 heavy pigs (105.6 ± 14.15 kg), from 22 commercial farms, were evaluated. Pigs were assessed ante mortem, during lairaging, by evaluating the number, location, and color of skin lesions, tail length, and the presence or absence of biting lesions, lameness, cough, rectal or vaginal prolapse, and umbilical hernia. Pulmonary lesions, pleuritis, pericarditis, and liver lesions were also recorded postmortem. A descriptive analysis was performed on antemortem and postmortem indicators to estimate their prevalence, and the relationships among antemortem and postmortem indicators were analyzed using two multilevel mixed-effects models—a linear regression and a logistic regression analysis— with the farm of origin as a fixed effect. Cough was present in 18.9% (n = 219) of pigs, whereas the prevalence of tail biting lesions (4.6%, n = 53), rectal prolapse (0.1%, n = 11), and vaginal prolapse (0.1%, n = 11) was low. As regards lesion shape, linear lesions accounted for the majority of skin lesions (55.8%, n = 648), followed by comma-shaped (34.7%, n = 403), diffuse (6.9%, n = 80), and rectangular lesions (2.5%, n = 29). Only 25.2% (n = 512) of lesions were bright red. At postmortem, pulmonary lesions were noted in 34.2 ± 13.5 (mean ± SEM) pigs, and were more prevalent in the cranial (11.9 ± 4.9) and medium lobes (12.2 ± 5.2); the caudal (5.3 ± 2.7) and accessory lobes (1.6 ± 1.6) were less affected. The number of skin lesions was significantly associated with drivers’ age, job experience (years), and marital status (p ≤ 0.001). The presence or absence of tail lesions was strongly associated with the number of skin lesions, scoring of pulmonary lesions, and animal live weight (p ≤ 0.001). Antemortem and postmortem indicators at slaughterhouses with low annual slaughter volumes can provide key information for disease monitoring and animal welfare.
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What slaughterhouse workers' attitudes and knowledge reveal about human-pig relationships during pre-slaughter operations: A profile-based approach. Meat Sci 2023; 195:109017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2022.109017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Nielsen SS, Alvarez J, Bicout DJ, Calistri P, Canali E, Drewe JA, Garin-Bastuji B, Gonzales Rojas JL, Schmidt CG, Michel V, Miranda Chueca MÁ, Padalino B, Pasquali P, Roberts HC, Spoolder H, Stahl K, Velarde A, Viltrop A, Winckler C, Earley B, Edwards S, Faucitano L, Marti S, de La Lama GCM, Costa LN, Thomsen PT, Ashe S, Mur L, Van der Stede Y, Herskin M. Welfare of pigs during transport. EFSA J 2022; 20:e07445. [PMID: 36092763 PMCID: PMC9449989 DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
In the framework of its Farm to Fork Strategy, the Commission is undertaking a comprehensive evaluation of the animal welfare legislation. The present Opinion deals with protection of pigs during transport. The welfare of pigs during transport by road is the main focus, but other means of transport are also covered. Current practices related to transport of pigs during the different stages (preparation, loading/unloading, transit and journey breaks) are described. Overall, 10 welfare consequences were identified as highly relevant for the welfare of pigs during transport based on the severity, duration and frequency of occurrence: group stress, handling stress, heat stress, injuries, motion stress, prolonged hunger, prolonged thirst, restriction of movement, resting problems and sensory overstimulation. These welfare consequences and their animal‐based measures are described. A variety of hazards were identified, mainly relating to factors such as mixing of unfamiliar pigs, inappropriate handling methods and devices, the use of pick‐up pens, inexperienced/untrained handlers, structural deficiencies of vehicles and facilities, poor driving conditions, unfavourable microclimatic and environmental conditions and poor husbandry practices leading to these welfare consequences. The Opinion contains general and specific conclusions relating to the different stages of transport of pigs. Recommendations to prevent hazards and to correct or mitigate welfare consequences are made. Recommendations were also developed to define quantitative thresholds for microclimatic conditions and minimum space allowance within means of transport. The development of the welfare consequences over time was assessed in relation to maximum journey duration. The Opinion covers specific animal transport scenarios identified by the European Commission relating to transport of cull sows and ‘special health status animals’, and lists welfare concerns associated with these.
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Machado NAF, Barbosa-Filho JAD, Martin JE, Da Silva IJO, Pandorfi H, Gadelha CRF, Souza-Junior JBF, Parente MDOM, Marques JI. Effect of distance and daily periods on heat-stressed pigs and pre-slaughter losses in a semiarid region. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2022; 66:1853-1864. [PMID: 35864272 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-022-02325-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Effective planning animal transport is essential to safeguard animal welfare and reduce production losses. Environmental conditions, specifically extreme temperatures in combination with ranges of relative humidity are highlighted as one of the main risk factors for production losses during transport (e.g., fatalities). The majority of research evaluating both welfare and production impacts of pig transport have been primarily undertaken in Europe and North America, which cover a relatively limited range of distinct climates (e.g., temperate, sub-arctic, etc.). As a result, research on pig transport in semi-arid conditions is lacking. In this study, we evaluated the effects of both distance (short, 30 km; and long, 170 km) and transport daily periods (morning, (05:00-11:00); afternoon (12:00-17:00); and night, (23:00-04:00)) on the preslaughter losses and heat stress of pigs in commercial transport in a semiarid region. Across 19 journeys of standard slaughter-weight pig loads (124.0 ± 2.8 kg), 684 focal animals (36 per journey) were evaluated. For each journey, the load's thermal profile (THIadj and enthalpy) and physiological responses of individual pigs were recorded. On arrival at designated slaughterhouses, the percentage pig of non-ambulatory non-injured (NANI), non-ambulatory injured (NAI), death on arrival (DOA), and total losses were recorded. Short journeys in the afternoon were shown to be more detrimental to the thermal comfort of pigs, with higher rectal temperatures recorded. The highest percentage of total losses and DOA occurred in afternoon journeys, irrespective of distance, followed by the morning, with the lowest losses observed in pigs transported at night. Additionally, total losses and DOA were further exacerbated by journey distance, with higher rates observed in short journeys. Higher percentage averages of NANI and NAI were observed in shorter journeys, but daily periods effects were only observed for NANI. These results further demonstrate the welfare and production loss risks associated with journey distance and time of day (representing varying environmental conditions) during road transport of pigs, whilst providing novel data in semiarid conditions. Careful and effective planning for pig transportation is essential to minimize heat stress and production losses. Consideration of the thermal environment on the day of travel, as well as providing flexibility to adjust travel times (e.g., early morning or evening), should help to mitigate risks of heat stress and production losses during pig transport.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jessica E Martin
- The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and The Roslin Institute, The College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Héliton Pandorfi
- Department of Agricultural Engineering, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, 52171-900, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Jordânio Inácio Marques
- Chapadinha Sciences Center, Universidade Federal Do Maranhão, Chapadinha, MA, 65500-000, Brazil
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