Abstract
The transport of animals for slaughter is an important step in humane slaughter and factors such as truck design, transport distance and time and weather conditions have a high correlation with meat and carcass quality and must be adjusted for each producing region. The effect of transport distance (D1 = 180 to 250 km and D2 = 75 to 130 km) and truck design (C1= regular truck, C2= trailer and C3= double deck) were evaluated on welfare, meat and carcass quality of 120 Nellore cattle using a completely randomized design. Differences were observed in the pH values 1h post-mortem (p ≤ 0.05) between treatments, but this was not true for the values of pH 24 post-mortem in the same muscle (L. dorsi). Higher bruising frequency (1.09 and 1.02) and intensity (1.81 and 1.65) were found in the carcasses of animals transported by C3 in relation to other treatments (p ≤ 0.05). High blood cortisol levels were obtained in animals transported by C3 over distance D2, followed by C1 over distance D1. It was concluded that C3 over distance D2 showed poor welfare and carcass quality compared to the other treatments.
Highlights
IntroductionCattle transportation is an important stage in production and it is vital that this process is carried out properly, using methods and techniques that ensure animal welfare, meat quality and carcass and economic viability (Paranhos, 2000; Fike et al, 2006, Fisher et al, 2009; De Witte e Hons, 2009).Road transport of cattle, under unfavorable conditions that include density, fasting, dehydration, fatigue, temperature, relative humidity and distance traveled may lead to losses related to stress such as bruises, fractures, weight loss and death (Ishiwata et al , 2008; Gupta et al, 2007).The physiological responses to transport stress are usually observed through high plasma levels of cortisol, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) body temperature and cardiac frequency (Ferguson e Warner, 2008; De Witte e Hons, 2009; Fike et al, 2006).The welfare of animals transported by truck depends on several factors, such as: vehicle maintenance, driver training, weather, distance, road quality, animal temperament, loading and unloading platform, sex, density, fasting and truck design (Luchiari Filho, 2000).Appropriate truck design is essential to ensure good practice in the transport of cattle
Evaluating the influence of the distance which the animals travelled (D1 ≤ 130 km) and (D2 ≥ 180 km) for the quality parameters shown in Table 2, is displayed larger than the distance afforded a pH 1h pm significantly higher for all types of trucks evaluated which showed higher energy expenditure of the cattle subjected to this treatment, but between 24h pm no significant differences were observed
Differences were found for the pH of the carcasses of cattle transported by all kinds of bodies, from the distance 1, and animal meat transported in double deck had the highest initial pH value, followed later by the lower cart and presenting the lowest pH, animal meat transported in regular truck
Summary
Cattle transportation is an important stage in production and it is vital that this process is carried out properly, using methods and techniques that ensure animal welfare, meat quality and carcass and economic viability (Paranhos, 2000; Fike et al, 2006, Fisher et al, 2009; De Witte e Hons, 2009).Road transport of cattle, under unfavorable conditions that include density, fasting, dehydration, fatigue, temperature, relative humidity and distance traveled may lead to losses related to stress such as bruises, fractures, weight loss and death (Ishiwata et al , 2008; Gupta et al, 2007).The physiological responses to transport stress are usually observed through high plasma levels of cortisol, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) body temperature and cardiac frequency (Ferguson e Warner, 2008; De Witte e Hons, 2009; Fike et al, 2006).The welfare of animals transported by truck depends on several factors, such as: vehicle maintenance, driver training, weather, distance, road quality, animal temperament, loading and unloading platform, sex, density, fasting and truck design (Luchiari Filho, 2000).Appropriate truck design is essential to ensure good practice in the transport of cattle. Cattle transportation is an important stage in production and it is vital that this process is carried out properly, using methods and techniques that ensure animal welfare, meat quality and carcass and economic viability (Paranhos, 2000; Fike et al, 2006, Fisher et al, 2009; De Witte e Hons, 2009). Under unfavorable conditions that include density, fasting, dehydration, fatigue, temperature, relative humidity and distance traveled may lead to losses related to stress such as bruises, fractures, weight loss and death (Ishiwata et al , 2008; Gupta et al, 2007). Tips of wood, exposed nails or screws, ceiling and walls of inadequate dimensions, improperly inclined ramp, irregular ventilation conditions and dirty and slippery floors are usually the main factors related to the problems of welfare and meat quality and carcass resulting from transportation by cattle truck (Strappinia et al, 2010)
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