Post-slaughter changes in rabbit carcasses in Poland between 2010 and 2018

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyze the results of sanitary and veterinary examinations of rabbits carried out by the Veterinary Inspectorate in slaughterhouses in Poland in 2010-2018. In this period, 8,980,660 rabbits were examined. Lesions and quality deviations were found in 42,779 carcasses, i.e. 0.48% of all carcasses examined. The most frequent causes of the rejection of the carcasses and internal organs of the rabbits examined were sepsis and pyaemia (36,369 cases), followed by excessive emaciation (1,686 cases), upper respiratory tract disease (1,655 cases), other causes not specified by name (1,438 cases), and coccidiosis (1,318 cases). Abnormal exsanguination (303), parasitic diseases other than coccidiosis (67), infectious diseases (14), and leukemia (2) were much less often the cause of rejection. During the period analyzed, there was a decrease in the number of cases of coccidiosis (except in 2017) and other parasitic diseases, but there was a several-fold increase in the occurrence of sepsis and pyaemia (in the years 2015-2018). Compared with the results of veterinary and sanitary examinations of rabbits in 2000-2010, there was an increase in the number of rabbits slaughtered and a reduction in the percentage of carcasses with pathological changes and carcasses deemed unfit for consumption. In the years 2010-2018, there was also an increase in the number of cases of sepsis and pyaemia and a significant decrease in the percentage of parasitic diseases (mainly coccidiosis).