Abstract
The number of patho-anatomic findings detected during the veterinary examination of slaughtered pigs was analyzed. From 2010 to 2017, a total of 20 550 072 finisher pigs, 484 710 sows, and 94 279 piglets were slaughtered in the Czech Republic. By comparing the overall amount of patho-anatomic findings expressed as an index of the ratio of the number of findings to the number of slaughtered animals, the highest incidence of patho-anatomic findings was determined in piglets (index 1.52), followed by sows (index 1.23), and the lowest in finisher pigs (index 0.81). The most numerous was the occurrence of chronic findings (finisher pigs: index 0.724%, sows: 0.926, piglets: 0.877). Furthermore, a high frequency of acute findings was found (finisher pigs: index 0.037, sows: 0.207, piglets: 0.373). The findings of traumatic and parasitic nature were significantly (P < 0.001) lower than those of chronic and acute character. The differences in the total number of findings and in the number of findings by the type of damage were significant (P < 0.001) between the individual pig categories. The results show that the worst health condition was observed in piglets, followed by sows, and the best in finisher pigs. Furthermore, the number of findings was significantly decreasing in finisher pigs (r = -0.7143, P = 0.047); no significant change was found in sows (r = -0.643, P = 0.086); however, it was significantly increasing in piglets (r = +0.857, P = 0.007). Therefore, there is a particular need for health improvement in piglets and also in sows.
Highlights
After the end of the feeding period or after the termination of the reproductive use or after the removal from fattening, the pigs are transported to a slaughterhouse, slaughtered and further processed
The high incidence of patho-anatomic findings in slaughtered piglets documents the fact that piglets are transported to the slaughterhouse due to lower fitness or a worse health condition, which is reflected in the high number of their patho-anatomic findings
Finisher pigs transported to the slaughterhouse are young animals in a good shape and with a lower incidence of patho-anatomic findings detected during the postmortem examination compared to sows and piglets
Summary
After the end of the feeding period (finisher pigs) or after the termination of the reproductive use (sows) or after the removal from fattening (piglets), the pigs are transported to a slaughterhouse, slaughtered and further processed The requirement for these pigs is clinical health and well-being corresponding to the requirements for animals slaughtered for the production of meat and other pork products. The aim of this study was to compare the level of health of slaughtered finisher pigs, sows, and piglets on the basis of the number of patho-anatomic findings found during the veterinary examination of pigs in slaughterhouses in terms of the overall level of health, the trend of its development, and the character of health damage in the individual categories of pigs
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