Abstract
Previous research has clearly shown that short-term stresses during the last few minutes before stunning can result in Pale Soft Exudative (PSE) pork in pigs or increased toughness in beef. Electric prods and other aversive handling methods during the last five minutes are associated with poorer meat quality. Handlers are more likely to use aversive methods if livestock constantly stop and are difficult to move into the stun box. Factors both inside and outside the slaughter plant contribute to handling problems. Some in-plant factors are lighting, shadows, seeing motion up ahead, or air movement. Non-slip flooring is also very important for low-stress handling. During the last ten years, there have been increasing problems with on-farm factors that may make animals more difficult to move at the abattoir. Cattle or pigs that are lame or stiff will be more difficult to move and handle. Some of the factors associated with lame cattle are either poor design or lack of adequate bedding in dairy cubicles (free stalls) and housing beef cattle for long periods on concrete floors. Poor leg conformation in both cattle and pigs may also be associated with animals that are reluctant to move. Indiscriminate breeding selection for meat production traits may be related to some of the leg conformation problems. Other on-farm factors that may contribute to handling problems at the abattoir are high doses of beta-agonists or cattle and pigs that have had little contact with people.
Highlights
Many research studies have previously shown that short-term stresses during the last few minutes before stunning may result in both poorer meat quality and severely compromised animal welfare
Multiple shocks from electric prods within five minutes before stunning resulted in higher lactate levels and more Pale Soft Exudative meat (PSE) [1,2,3]
Cattle fed to heavier weights at a younger age and more cattle fattened for highly marbled USDA prime beef [41,42]; Indiscriminate breeding and selection for growth and muscle mass in both species [42]; Feeding high-grain diets to cattle and a lack of roughages [25]; High doses of beta-agonists fed to both cattle and pigs [28,29]
Summary
Many research studies have previously shown that short-term stresses during the last few minutes before stunning may result in both poorer meat quality and severely compromised animal welfare. Short-term stresses shortly before stunning such as the use of electric prods or agitated behavior were associated with increased toughness in the meat [4,5] The purpose of this commentary is to discuss the author’s observations of the increase in on-farm factors that may make animals more difficult to move at the abattoir. The author discusses some of the factors that are associated with animals that are difficult to move at the slaughter plant Correcting these problems will help improve both welfare and meat quality. The main emphasis of this article is to discuss on-farm factors such as housing problems, growth promotants, or overselection for production traits that may be associated with lame cattle and pigs that are reluctant to move It contains both scientific studies and observations from the author’s experiences with handling livestock. The author has observed that handling problems at the abattoir are increasingly associated with breeding, feeding, or housing practices on the farm
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