The evaluation of lesions on carcasses at the slaughterhouse has been recognized as a valid method to assess animal welfare [1].While the body of research in this field is large toward pigs and poultry, little is known about the potential of abattoir-based measures in cattle [2]. Lately, the assessment of bruises on carcasses has been indicated as a potential indicator of welfare in cattle [2, 3]. The aim of this study was to determine whether bruises on cattle carcasses could reflect some pre-slaughter factors. The study was conducted in a commercial abattoir located in the Northern Italy, which processed mainly beef cattle of different ages and breed. At the unloading, the transporter ID, travelling time, density of the animals per truck, number of floors in the truck, size and type of each truck were recorded as pre-slaughter factors. Bruises were assessed along the slaughter line after skinning and identification of carcasses but prior splitting. The lesions were evaluated in five anatomical sites (1=Front, 2=Rib, 3=Flank, 4=Loin, 5=Round) and classified according to their size (Small=0-8 cm; Medium=9-16 cm; Large≥16 cm), color (0= Red; 1= Purple; 2= Yellow), shape (0=Circular; 1=Linear; 2=Tramline; 3=Mottled), and number per each site. In the event of multiple bruises per each site, only the bruise presenting maximum severity of the size was recorded. The probability and the severity of bruising were examined through a mixed logistic regression, with pre-slaughter factors as explanatory variables. Differences between factors with more than two levels were tested through t-tests on differences of least square means, applying Tukey adjustment for multiple comparisons. Overall, 1265 animals were examined for bruises post-slaughter, with 273 animals (21.6%; 95% Confidence Interval: 19.3%–23.8%) showing at least one bruise, of which 193 (70.7%) showed mild bruising, 59 (21.6%) medium bruising, and 21 (7.7%) severe bruising. Most of the bruised animals (50.2%) resulted with bruising at a single location on their body, 38.5% at two locations, 9.2% at three locations, and only 6 individuals (2.2%) showed bruising at four locations. Occurrence of bruising varied significantly depending on body parts, with the Front (10,8%) and the Round (7.9%) sites showing bruises more frequently than the other locations (χ24=60.3; p<0.0001). The probability of bruising varied significantly among individual categories (χ22=35.1; p<0.0001) and was negatively affected by the density of animals in the truck (χ21=23.1; p<0.0001). In fact, steers had a lower probability of showing bruises than both heifers (t1244=5.7; p<0.0001) and veals (t1244=3.4; p=0.002), while the higher was the density of transported animals, the lower was the probability of presenting bruising (parameter estimate=-2.74 ± 0.57). These results have shown that the presence of bruises on carcasses of beef cattle can be affected by some preslaughter factors, such as the density of the animals per truck during the transport, the gender and the age. In conclusion, this preliminary study supports the use of a scheme based on bruises on carcasses to evaluate welfare in cattle prior to slaughter.

EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRUISES ON CARCASSES OF BEEF CATTLE AND PRE-SLAUGHTER FACTORS / DE LUCA, Silvio; Ghidini, Sergio; Ianieri, Adriana; DI FLORIO, Giovanni; Varrà, MARIA OLGA; Romeo, CLAUDIA ROSA; Zanardi, Emanuela. - (2022). (Intervento presentato al convegno 75° Convegno SISVET – 2022 tenutosi a Lodi nel 15 – 18 Giugno 2022).

EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRUISES ON CARCASSES OF BEEF CATTLE AND PRE-SLAUGHTER FACTORS

Silvio De Luca;Sergio Ghidini;Adriana Ianieri;Giovanni Di Florio;Maria Olga Varrà;Claudia Rosa Romeo;Emanuela Zanardi
2022-01-01

Abstract

The evaluation of lesions on carcasses at the slaughterhouse has been recognized as a valid method to assess animal welfare [1].While the body of research in this field is large toward pigs and poultry, little is known about the potential of abattoir-based measures in cattle [2]. Lately, the assessment of bruises on carcasses has been indicated as a potential indicator of welfare in cattle [2, 3]. The aim of this study was to determine whether bruises on cattle carcasses could reflect some pre-slaughter factors. The study was conducted in a commercial abattoir located in the Northern Italy, which processed mainly beef cattle of different ages and breed. At the unloading, the transporter ID, travelling time, density of the animals per truck, number of floors in the truck, size and type of each truck were recorded as pre-slaughter factors. Bruises were assessed along the slaughter line after skinning and identification of carcasses but prior splitting. The lesions were evaluated in five anatomical sites (1=Front, 2=Rib, 3=Flank, 4=Loin, 5=Round) and classified according to their size (Small=0-8 cm; Medium=9-16 cm; Large≥16 cm), color (0= Red; 1= Purple; 2= Yellow), shape (0=Circular; 1=Linear; 2=Tramline; 3=Mottled), and number per each site. In the event of multiple bruises per each site, only the bruise presenting maximum severity of the size was recorded. The probability and the severity of bruising were examined through a mixed logistic regression, with pre-slaughter factors as explanatory variables. Differences between factors with more than two levels were tested through t-tests on differences of least square means, applying Tukey adjustment for multiple comparisons. Overall, 1265 animals were examined for bruises post-slaughter, with 273 animals (21.6%; 95% Confidence Interval: 19.3%–23.8%) showing at least one bruise, of which 193 (70.7%) showed mild bruising, 59 (21.6%) medium bruising, and 21 (7.7%) severe bruising. Most of the bruised animals (50.2%) resulted with bruising at a single location on their body, 38.5% at two locations, 9.2% at three locations, and only 6 individuals (2.2%) showed bruising at four locations. Occurrence of bruising varied significantly depending on body parts, with the Front (10,8%) and the Round (7.9%) sites showing bruises more frequently than the other locations (χ24=60.3; p<0.0001). The probability of bruising varied significantly among individual categories (χ22=35.1; p<0.0001) and was negatively affected by the density of animals in the truck (χ21=23.1; p<0.0001). In fact, steers had a lower probability of showing bruises than both heifers (t1244=5.7; p<0.0001) and veals (t1244=3.4; p=0.002), while the higher was the density of transported animals, the lower was the probability of presenting bruising (parameter estimate=-2.74 ± 0.57). These results have shown that the presence of bruises on carcasses of beef cattle can be affected by some preslaughter factors, such as the density of the animals per truck during the transport, the gender and the age. In conclusion, this preliminary study supports the use of a scheme based on bruises on carcasses to evaluate welfare in cattle prior to slaughter.
2022
978-88-909092-3-8
EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRUISES ON CARCASSES OF BEEF CATTLE AND PRE-SLAUGHTER FACTORS / DE LUCA, Silvio; Ghidini, Sergio; Ianieri, Adriana; DI FLORIO, Giovanni; Varrà, MARIA OLGA; Romeo, CLAUDIA ROSA; Zanardi, Emanuela. - (2022). (Intervento presentato al convegno 75° Convegno SISVET – 2022 tenutosi a Lodi nel 15 – 18 Giugno 2022).
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11381/2945516
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