Abstract
The increase in the slaughter of pregnant cows (SPCs) for meat (except as may be approved by veterinarians on health grounds to salvage the animal) is unethical. SPCs for meat is also counterproductive, detrimental to food security, and may enhance zoonotic disease transmission. In this context, therefore, this current study examined slaughter conditions and the slaughtering of pregnant cows, and the implications for meat quality, food safety, and food security in Southeast Nigeria. The direct observational method was employed to examine the slaughterhouse activities, from when the cattle arrived at the lairage to the post-slaughter stage. A pre-tested and validated closed-ended-questionnaire was used to elicit information on causes of the SPCs and the method of disposal of eviscerated foetuses. Pregnancy status of cows slaughtered was determined by palpation followed by visual examination of the eviscerated and longitudinal incised uteri. The study lasted for six months during which 851 cows out of 1931 slaughtered cattle were surveyed. Assessment/decision-making protocol of slaughterhouse conditions, welfare conditions of slaughter-cattle, reasons for sale or slaughter of pregnant cows, distribution of pregnant cows slaughtered, method of disposal of eviscerated foetuses, and estimated economic losses of SPCs were delineated. Of the 851 cows examined, 17.4% (148/851) were pregnant while 43.2% (64/148) of the total foetuses recovered were in their third trimester. Major reasons adduced for SPCs by proportion of involved respondents were: ignorance of the animals’ pregnancy status (69.7%, 83/119), high demand for beef (61.3%, 73/119), preference for large-sized cattle (47.9%, 57/119), economic hardship (52.1%, 62/119) and diseases conditions (42.9%. 51/119). The conduct of SPCs for meat would not be profitable. This is because within six months, an estimated loss of about 44,000 kg of beef, equivalent to ₦ 70.1 million or $186,400 would be associated with SPCs and the consequential foetal wastages. If losses were to be replicated nationwide across slaughterhouses, 4.3 tons of beef estimated at ₦ 8.6 billion or $23 million would be wasted. Improving slaughter conditions and the welfare of slaughter-cattle in Nigerian slaughterhouses through advocacy, training of slaughterhouse workers, and strict implementation of laws promoting humane slaughter practices is imperative. Preventing SPCs for meat and inhumane slaughter practices at the slaughterhouse would enhance the welfare needs of slaughter cattle, grow the national herd size, and improve meat safety as well as food security.
Highlights
Achieving high-level beef/meat quality from any given cattle slaughterhouse requires that optimum levels of good practices must be upheld
Some carcass/meat defects caused by preslaughter stress or poor welfare conditions are Pale, Soft, Exudative (PSE) and Dark Firm and Dry (DFD) meats [14,15]
Determining the root-causes of Slaughter of pregnant cows (SPCs) will guide informed decision making regarding improved Animal welfare (AW), growing the national cattle herd size and boosting the livestock economy in Nigeria. This current study examined the slaughter conditions and slaughtering of pregnant cows, and the implications for meat quality, food safety, and food security in South-East Nigeria
Summary
Achieving high-level beef/meat quality from any given cattle slaughterhouse requires that optimum levels of good practices must be upheld. Regardless of location, cattle pre-slaughter and slaughter operations remain very critical to meat quality and food security [1,2,3]. There are pre- and post-slaughter conditions/factors in slaughterhouses that influence meat quality and food security. Pre-slaughter factors include high animal density during transport, inadequate lairage facilities at the slaughterhouse, long-distance travel, (poor) handling practices during loading and unloading and during transport, as well as unskilled drivers [4,5,6,7]. Post-slaughter factors include humidity, temperature, meat pH, microbial contamination and storage time, which would affect the keeping and nutritional qualities of the meat [8]. Factors that are used to evaluate compliance to humane slaughter practices include the proportion of the slaughter animals that: (a) were successfully stunned at the first attempt; (b) were rendered unconscious post first stunning; (c) vocalised during stunning and bleeding; (d) fall during handling; and (e) moved with an electric goad [16,17]
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