Abstract
Ethiopia has high livestock population and hence has high potential for hide and skin production. Likewise, in west Shewa Zone of the country there is high hide and skin production. But hides and skins are affected by different types of defects that hampered effective and efficient utilization of these resources. Therefore, a study was conducted in Bako Tibe and Ilu Gelan districts of west Showa zone with the objectives to assess pre- and post-slaughter defects that influence hide and skin qualities. Primary data were collected from sample household heads, middlemen, butcheries, hotel/restaurants and tanneries using semi-structured interview and direct observations. All middlemen, butchery and hotel/restaurants in the study areas were employed for data collection while households were selected using simple random sampling techniques. Results of the study revealed that all household respondents reported absence of extension services on hide and skin management. The maximum pre-slaughter defect observed by households (87.2%), hotel/restaurants (91.3%), butcheries (93.3%) and middle men (90%) were due to ectoparasites. Out of the respondents 64.6%, 40% and 82.6% of respondents from household, butcheries and hotels/restaurants, respectively were slaughtered animals on the ground without stunning. The maximum post-slaughter defects observed during slaughtering by households (95.4%), hotel/restaurants (87.0%), and butcheries (86.7%) were dirt and flay cut. According to the respondents, 38.5 of the households kept hide and skin on the ground before marketing. It was found that the major post-slaughter defects of hide were flesh remnant (94.3%), dirty (74.3%), corduroying (71.4%), and flay cut (65.7%). Moreover, traditional animal husbandry and slaughtering practices, poor storage and preservation methods of raw hides and skins, the absence of slaughtering facility and extension service exacerbated the problem. Therefore, there is an urgent need for good animal management practices, animal transportation and slaughtering, and post slaughter hide and skins management.
Highlights
Ethiopia is the first African country in livestock populations having 55.03 million cattle, 27.35 million sheep, and 28.16 million goats [1]
Sheep and goat were reared in the study areas primarily for income generation followed by home consumption during holidays
The current study found that there was no extension service about husbandry practices that can reduce hide and skin defect on live animals and majority of respondents did not have the required knowledge and skill on hide and skin production and management
Summary
Ethiopia is the first African country in livestock populations having 55.03 million cattle, 27.35 million sheep, and 28.16 million goats [1]. In Africa it was ranked fifth and third on raw hides and skins production, and leather products and footwear exports, respectively. Even if livestock population is high, there is critical shortage of raw hides and skins in Ethiopia due to insufficient supply to meet even the most minimal market demand, and their poor-quality (scarred, diseased, improperly flayed) which directly limited the market potential of the finished leather products [4]. Trends of the different leather product categories of crust, finished leather and shoe exports were increased while wet blue and pickle declined. The country did not utilize the huge potential in the sector
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