Abstract
The incidence of bruising in bovine carcases is a consequence of several potentially stressful and aggressive factors to which the animals are subjected during pre-slaughter handling. The aim of this study was to identify pre-slaughter factors associated with the severe bruising in different regions of the bovine carcass. The study evaluated 5,028 batches of slaughtered cattle from 154,100 animals. The carcases were analysed for gender, handling on the farm, condition of farm infrastructure, type of truck, distance and journey time from the farm to the slaughterhouse, loading density and time of year in which the animals were slaughtered. The results showed that the sidecut and forequarter are the areas most affected by bruising, with females being the most vulnerable. Loading densities above excess of 401 kg m-2 cause an increase in the number of bruises. The use of larger vehicles results in an increase in bruising, as does the use of poor farming facilities. A decrease in the number of bruises was seen for journey times of more than three hours. All the variables under evaluation are potential causes of injury to bovine carcases. As such, improving the handling conditions and facilities for loading cattle, as well as reducing the stress of transport, are factors which determine a smaller number of bruises in bovine carcases .
Highlights
Animal welfare and the quality of the produced meat are directly linked to each of the activities in the production chain, from the birth to the slaughter of the animals
Recent studies describe how the absence of animal welfare programs on properties increases bruising, which is significantly associated with various factors such as gender (MENDONÇA et al, 2018), transport (MENDONÇA et al, 2019; SILVA; BERTOLONI; RIBEIRO, 2016), the handling employed on the property and irregularities in the maintenance of equipment and facilities (ROMERO et al, 2017), as well as the lack of training of the personnel who handle the cattle (HULTGREN et al, 2014)
A decreasing model was prepared based on the degree of importance established by the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) for the variables causing bruising in the carcase (Figure 2)
Summary
Animal welfare and the quality of the produced meat are directly linked to each of the activities in the production chain, from the birth to the slaughter of the animals. This subject has recently become of public, economic and political interest, mainly due to changes in the profile of meat consumers, who have begun to inquire how the animals are bred, fed and slaughtered (LOSADA-ESPINOSA et al, 2017; MIRANDA-DE LA LAMA et al, 2017; NJISANE; MUCHENJE, 2017). The aim of this study was to determine losses in primary commercial cuts of bovine carcases due to severe injuries caused during pre-slaughter handling
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