Evolution of slaughter precocity in male beef cattle in the Carne Pampa programme

Caroline De Avila Fernandes,Ricardo Zambarda Vaz,Marcelo Machado Severo,Paulo Santana Pacheco,Greicy Sofia Maysonnave,Fabiano Nunes Vaz,Matheus Lehnhart De Moraes,Ariel Schreiber,Leonir Luiz Pascoal

doi:10.1590/1809-6891v21e-61346

Caroline De Avila Fernandes, Ricardo Zambarda Vaz + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-6891v21e-61346

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Abstract

Abstract The aim of this study was to analyse precocity behaviour over nine years in Hereford steers and their crosses, slaughtered with from zero to six teeth. Approximately 144,000 certified carcases in the Carne Pampa programme were analysed between 2010 and 2018. The increase in cold carcase weight per year was evaluated for three periods of the year: the hot season was defined as 26 December to 25 May, the autumn void was defined as 26 May to 25 July, and the cold season from 26 July to 25 December. To assess the behaviour of cold carcase weight over the years per season, the data were submitted to simple linear regression analysis. The average weights per season were compared by the mean value comparison test. The cold season had the highest mean carcase weight, with 239.1 kg, showing an annual increase of 6.45 kg. Analysing the behaviour of mean carcase weight by dentition, animals with zero teeth showed a greater weight increase over the years during the cold season as well as during the autumn void; during the hot season, animals slaughtered with two teeth showed the greater increase in weight. The category that showed the least increase in weight for all three seasons were animals slaughtered with six teeth. It was concluded that over the nine years, there was an increase in slaughter precocity in male cattle certified in the Carne Pampa programme.

Highlights

The constant increase in world demand for meat in recent decades has challenged production systems to increase their economic indicators, maintaining the sustainability of their means of production and the quality of the final product
From 2014 to 2018, the percentage of animals slaughtered with zero teeth was higher than that of animals with six teeth, which implies an increase in early slaughter over the last four years; in addition, from 2010 to 2018, the percentage of animals slaughtered with two teeth was greater than that of animals slaughtered with four and six teeth, indicating the slaughter of younger animals
These results show an improvement in the precocity of the slaughtered animals, a fact not reported in the domestic literature where there are few studies on precocity, most of the research being related to reproduction[10, 11, 12]

Summary

Introduction

The constant increase in world demand for meat in recent decades has challenged production systems to increase their economic indicators, maintaining the sustainability of their means of production and the quality of the final product. Among the demands of this expanding market, product quality becomes even more important, showing that it is a niche market for adding value and improving economic results throughout the production chain. According to the 2016 Agricultural Census, the Brazilian cattle herd has 172.7 million animals, 35.4% of which are in the Midwest region of the country. In 2017, there were around 7.8 million cattle raised for beef in the state[2], predominantly breeds of European origin, which are preferred in gourmet markets. Research shows that 64.8% of the Gaucho herd comprises animals defined as from a European breed or crossbred. Aberdeen Angus and Hereford predominate, making up the largest portion (30%) of the crosses between European breeds[3]

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