Transport and lairage times of lambs slaughtered commercially in the south of England

The times spent in transport and lairage by 124,036 lambs slaughtered in two plants in the south of England were recorded. About half of them travelled for up to 120 km, taking up to four hours, and three-quarters travelled not more than 300 km, the journeys taking up to about six hours. Bimodal frequency distributions of lairage time were apparent; overall one third of the lambs spent up to four hours in lairage but more than 40 per cent were kept for longer than 14 hours, while they were held overnight. Early season lambs tended to travel shorter distances to slaughter and spent less time in lairage than late season lambs. The average total times spent in transit and lairage were 22.3 hours and 13.3 hours at the two plants.     

Stress reactions of cattle undergoing ritual slaughter using two methods of restraint

Studies were made of the behavioural and physiological reactions of cattle undergoing ritual slaughter in the Weinberg holding pen, in which the animal is inverted, and in the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) pen, in which the animal is standing. Behaviour was analysed with reference to the duration of the slaughter procedures by recording activities on an ethogram. Blood samples taken at slaughter were analysed for cortisol levels and haematocrit, and intramuscular pH was measured 45 minutes and 24 hours after slaughter. A wide range of activities was displayed in the ritually slaughtered cattle and these were particularly pronounced in the Weinberg pen. The mean time spent in the Weinberg pen was eight times longer than the time spent in the ASPCA pen. The cortisol and haematocrit values of cattle slaughtered in the Weinberg pen were significantly greater than those of cattle slaughtered in the ASPCA pen or cattle slaughtered conventionally. The results indicate that animals in the Weinberg pen experienced more stress than those in the ASPCA pen.     

A comparison of the welfare and meat quality of veal calves slaughtered on the farm with those subjected to transportation and lairage

Comparisons were made of the behaviour, physiology and meat quality of 24-week-old male veal calves (mean live weight 234 kg) that were slaughtered either at the veal unit (the control group) or following 3 h transportation at space allowances of either 0.7 or 0.95 m² calf⁻¹ and 1.5 h of lairage. Compared with nontransported calves, transported calves had a greater heart rate during the journey and during lairage; greater plasma cortisol concentration immediately after the journey, but not after 1.5 h of lairage; and greater plasma creatine kinase activity immediately after the journey and after 1.5 h of lairage. The transported calves did not lie down during the journey. There was no effect of space allowance on either the heart rate or frequency of potentially traumatic events during the journey or the plasma cortisol concentration and plasma creatine kinase activity sampled after the journey. There was no effect of transport on either carcase bruising or muscle pH 24 h after slaughter. Although compared with ‘on-farm’ slaughter, the transport and handling associated with the journey to the slaughterhouse were stressful to the calves; there were no adverse effects of transport on either carcase bruising or meat quality.     

Behavioural and physiological responses of pigs to being transported for up to 24 hours followed by six hours recovery in lairage

Ninety-six pure-bred Large White pigs weighing 80 to 100 kg were either not transported or transported for eight, 16 or 24 hours, and then either slaughtered immediately on arrival at the abattoir or kept in lairage for six hours before being slaughtered. The pigs travelling for eight, 16 or 24 hours lost 2.2, 2.0 and 4.3 per cent of liveweight, respectively, and the pigs travelling for 24 hours lost 2.6 per cent of hot carcase weight Both liveweight and hot carcase weight recovered during the lairage period although there was a net liveweight loss in comparison with the control animals. Only transport for 24 hours led to losses in carcase weight The concentration of non-esterified fatty acids increased with the time spent travelling. The concentrations of cortisol, creatine phosphokinase and lactate were all low in comparison with the levels found in commercially slaughtered animals. Plasma albumin and protein concentrations indicated that the animals were becoming dehydrated during the longer journeys. The animals lay down for most of the journey and appeared to be asleep. During the period in lairage, the animals transported for eight hours had two distinct periods of feeding and drinking but spent most of the time lying down, but those transported for 16 and 24 hours showed far more eating and drinking activity. All the groups appeared tired, but the urge to eat of the groups transported for 16 hours, and especially 24 hours appeared to be more important. There were behavioural and the physiological differences between the transported groups and the controls. Six hours in lairage with access to food and water allowed most of the physiological parameters to return to pretransport levels.     

Cattle cruelty and risks of meat contamination at Akinyele cattle market and slaughter slab in Oyo State,Nigeria

Cattle transported to the government-run cattle market and slaughter slab in Akinyele, Oyo State, Nigeria on their final voyage are facing a disturbingly cruel, filthy and unsafe environment that is also raising the risk of contamination of meat sold for human consumption. This report gives a picture of what the cattle have to go through before they are slaughtered. This study also reveals cattle awaiting slaughter in abysmal health conditions, cows pulled with extreme force towards lairage and slaughter slab. Equally disturbing is the filthy situation inside the abattoir where the risk of contamination of meat is significant. Also, poor meat handling, transportation and sales practices subject meat to contamination leading to poor quality and exposure of human consumers to health risk. Development of hygienic slaughter slab operations, improved transportation system for both livestock and meat is therefore recommended; not only for Akinyele, but all abattoirs and slaughter slabs in Nigeria.     

Time in lairage needed by pigs to recover from the stress of transport.

Two experiments were carried out in which a total of 602 pigs were slaughtered after being held in lairage for periods ranging from less than one hour to 21 hours. In the first experiment the pigs were handled under ideal conditions and slaughtered at the University of Bristol slaughterhouse; in the second the pigs were killed at a commercial plant. Blood samples collected at exsanguination were analysed for indices of stress. There were no consistent effects of time in lairage on the levels of lactate and creatine phosphokinase. Plasma cortisol and beta-endorphin levels were reduced by lairage for three hours or more in the first experiment and cortisol was reduced by lairage for two hours or more in the second; beta-endorphin was not measured in the second experiment. A period of rest in lairage allowed the pigs to recover from transport and the associated handling and the recovery appeared to be complete within two to three hours.     

Assessment of cattle welfare at a commercial slaughter plant in the northwest of Mexico

Slaughter plants have been undergoing radical transformations in recent years due to the need to increase efficiency and incorporate new technologies for the improvement of the infrastructure, animal welfare, and product quality. The aim of this study was to assess the cattle welfare status during the unloading, lairage, stunning, bleeding and quantify bruising incidence at a commercial slaughter plant in the northwest of Mexico. We monitored 8,118 cattle during the unloading, lairage, stunning, bleeding, and carcass bruise incidence. Our results showed that in the unloading stage, 2% of the cattle vocalized, 5% were prodded with an electric goad, and 4% either slipped or fell. In the lairage stage, 12% of the animals vocalized, 80% prodded with an electric goad, and 8% of the animals slipped or fell. In the stunning stage, 10% of the animals vocalized, 67% prodded with an electric goad, and 15% of the animals slipped or fell. Ninety-five percent of the animals were stunned with a single shot, and 51% of the animals were effectively desensitized. Ninety-two percent of the carcasses had some type of bruise. Although the slaughter plant had adequate infrastructure and stringent operational standards, in all of the stages except unloading handling had an impact on the welfare of the animals being slaughtered.     

Pre slaughter handling of cattle: The availability of water during the lairage period

A comparison was made of the effect of providing or denying water to steers during the last 20 h before slaughter on carcase weight, bruising, muscle pH, and during the dressing process on the numbers of rumens from which ingesta was split and the number of heads and tongues condemned because of contamination with ingesta. All cattle were offered water from arrival at the abattoir until the start of the treatment period. In one experiment the steers were rested for 24 or 48 h after a 120 km journey before being slaughtered, while in a second experiment they rested for 66 h after a 725 km journey. Giving steers access to water until they were slaughtered did not affect adversely carcase weight, bruise score, muscle pH or the incidence of ingesta spillage from rumens. The number of condemned heads and tongues was not consistently related to the availability of water. In the absence of any adverse effects it is recommended that cattle be provided with water during the lairage period.     

Slaughter value, meat quality, creatine kinase activity and cortisol levels in the blood serum of growing-finishing pigs slaughtered immediately after transport and after a rest period

The experimental materials comprised 44 hybrid [female (Polish Large White x Polish Landrace) x male Duroc] growing-finishing pigs. The animals were randomly divided into two groups: 24 pigs were slaughtered immediately after transport and 20 pigs were slaughtered after a 24-hour rest period in the lairage. The meat content of pork carcasses, carcass dressing percentage, the proximate chemical composition, physicochemical and sensory properties of meat and shear force values were determined. Serum creatine kinase activity and cortisol levels were determined in blood samples collected before transport and during carcass bleeding. Pigs slaughtered immediately after transport, compared with those slaughtered after a 24-hour rest period, were characterized by a higher meat content of the carcass and a higher carcass dressing percentage. Pre-slaughter handling had no effect on pork quality. The incidence of normal-quality meat, partially PSE (pale, soft, exudative) meat and PSE meat was similar in both groups. Chemical analysis showed that the content of dry matter, total protein, fat and minerals in meat was comparable in both groups. As regards the functional properties of the pork, samples from the carcasses of pigs that had rested before slaughter had a higher contribution of the red color component. Meat from pigs slaughtered immediately after transport had more desirable sensory properties. Pre-slaughter resting had a significant effect on those analyzed physiological parameters which were found to be good indicators of pre-slaughter stress. Serum creatine kinase activity and cortisol levels were higher in blood samples collected after transport (during carcass bleeding) than in samples collected before transport, pointing to a strong stress response of animals to pre-slaughter treatment. The decrease in serum cortisol levels in blood samples collected during bleeding from the carcasses of pigs slaughtered after a 24-hour rest period, compared with samples collected from animals slaughtered immediately after transport, suggests that rest before slaughter alleviated stress induced by pre-slaughter handling operations.     

Effects of transport and lairage time on some blood constituents of Friesian-cross steers in Chile

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of two transport journeys (3 and 16 h) and four lairage times at the abattoir (3, 6, 12 and 24 h) on some stress indicators in steers to validate the current Chilean legislation of a minimum lairage period of 12 h for cattle arriving at abattoirs.The study was carried out twice, 80 steers in the winter and 80 in the summer of 1999. Forty steers were transported for 3 h and 40 for 16 h. At arrival in the slaughterhouse, the 40 transported steers were randomly divided in four lairage groups. Blood samples were collected before loading at arrival at the slaughterhouse and at slaughter during exsanguination.Mixed models were used to determine the associations between the stress indicators and the independent variables while correcting for the repeated observations on animals. Lairage increased plasma cortisol and PCV values independent of the transport duration. Glucose concentrations in steers transported for 16 h further increased after 3 and 6 h of lairage but decreased after 12 and 24 h of lairage. In steers transported for 3 h, glucose concentrations only increased after 24 h of lairage. After 24 h of lairage, the steers transported for 16 h had increased βHB concentrations compared with those transported for 3 h. Plasma CK activity was increased in steers after transport but was not affected by lairage. The study shows that there is no beneficial effect on the welfare of the animals by a long lairage time at the abattoir.     

Handling of slaughter cattle in pre and post transport situations including loading and unloading on journeys up to 8 hours in Germany

In a field study 63 commercial cattle transports to German slaughter plants including 580 bulls, cows and heifers were investigated to estimate the impact of pre and post transport aspects on animal welfare. Study 1 evaluated these aspects as part of a large model covering all possible influences at transport and slaughter on biochemical stress response and carcass and meat quality. Included were keeping system, behavioural and clinical observations at loading, unloading and lairage, transport time, loading density, mounting prevention, regrouping and lairage time. In study 2 more detailed questions about loading and unloading were answered by investigating the impact of facility design and handling criteria on cattle behaviour and heart rate. Cattle from tied housing show an increased stress response to all transport procedures. Many aspects of facility design and handling contribute to quality of loading. Cattle show calmer behaviour, turn, balk or fall less if they are not mixed and driven in small groups on driveways without impediments but with regular sideblock, not wider than the vehicle ramp. Vehicle ramps should have high and closed side gates, be inclined less than 20 degrees, and the step towards ramp should be less than 15 cm. Unloading is improved if performed level and to the back of the vehicle (behaviour, heart rate, cortisol, CK). Direct reloading should be avoided and mounting should be prevented during transport and lairage (CK, lactate, bruising). But mounting prevention devices may increase bruising if set too low (< 20 cm above withers). Longer lairage time is disadvantageous (CK, energy metabolism).     

Effects of preslaughter handling on the behaviour, blood biochemistry and carcases of farmed red deer

Eight groups of six red deer (four groups of males and four groups of females) were held overnight in an unfamiliar paddock, after which they were moved into a holding pen and slaughtered sequentially by stunning with a captive bolt pistol in a restraining pen. On entering the restraining pen, half the deer in each group were stunned immediately, but the other half were stunned after 10 minutes. Deer spent much of the initial period in the holding pen standing stationary in 'alert' postures, but became less alert over time. A significantly higher proportion of males than females were observed in alert 'head-up' postures in the restraining pen. Deer held in the restraining pen for 10 minutes had significantly higher plasma cortisol concentrations than those which were stunned immediately. Females had a significantly higher glycogen concentration postmortem in both the liver and semimembranosus muscle than males, and deer held in the restraining pen for 10 minutes had a significantly lower liver glycogen concentration than deer which were slaughtered immediately. Males had significantly higher semimembranosus muscle pHu values than females, although the differences were small, and of the 14 deer with pHu values above 6-0, 11 were males.     

Transport versus on-farm slaughter of bison: Physiological stress,animal welfare,and avoidable trim losses

Ranched bison are typically less acclimated to handling than are domesticated livestock, suggesting that they might be more vulnerable to handling and transportation stressors. Grain-finished bison were slaughtered on-farm (n = 11), or held for 48 h, transported to a research abattoir, held in lairage for 18 h, and then slaughtered (n = 11). An additional group (n = 10) was sampled at a conventional fixed location abattoir. Measures included serum cortisol and corticosterone concentrations during on-farm handling and exsanguination, serum glucose, creatinine phosphokinase (CPK), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and trim losses. Transport was associated with an increase in trim loss. On-farm, glucose was elevated, CPK was positively associated with handling order over 12 h, and corticosterone concentration, although lower than cortisol concentration, showed a greater response to prolonged disturbance. With appropriate on-farm handling facilities, the use of on-farm slaughter and mobile abattoir could avoid muscle damage and trim losses, and mitigate injuries sustained during handling and transport of bison.     

Resting behaviour of cattle in a slaughterhouse lairage

One-hundred and thirty-five groups of cattle were observed in a slaughterhouse lairage. Groups of cattle that arrived direct from farms took longer to lie down and spent less time lying down than those that arrived from markets. In 72 groups, the majority of time was spent with no animals in the group lying down. In only 42 groups was the majority of the time spent with greater than one-half of the group lying down. In 97 groups, over three-quarters of the time in the lairage was spent with no cattle in the group moving. The proportion of time that cattle spent moving and lying down was also affected by the sexual composition of the group and also by group size. In cattle direct from farms, moving behaviour was greater in groups containing cattle with horns than in similar groups that did not contain cattle with horns.     

宰前休息方式对猪福利、血液成分及肉质的影响

选取体质量约为100 kg、氟烷基因型为NN的长×大二元杂交猪60头,随机分为3组:不休息组,休息3 h组,休息3 h+玩具组,公母各半.根据评分标准分别记录休息过程中猪的精神状况.放血时收集血样,用于分析血浆中皮质醇、促肾上腺皮质激素(ACTH)浓度,乳酸脱氢酶、肌酸激酶活性,乳酸、血糖浓度;添加EDTA-K<,2>抗凝剂的血样用于血细胞分析.同时在放血时,测定血温.屠宰后.测定背最长肌24 h滴水损失;背最长肌(LM)、半膜肌(SM)45 min以及24 h的pH、色值、导电率.结果表明:①休息3 h+玩具组在3个时间段的精神评分要极显著高于休息3 h组,随着时间的延长猪都表现出趋于平静的趋势;②休息3 h+玩具组和休息组3 h组在皮质醇、促肾上腺皮质激素要显著低于不休组(P<0.05),相反乳酸脱氢酶、肌酸激酶要显著高于不休息组(P<0.05),而休息3h+玩具组与休息3 h组差别不显著(P<0.05);③3个休息处理组在肉质指标上没有出现显著差别(P<0.05);④休息3 h+玩具组、休息3 h组在红细胞数(RBC)、血红蛋白含量(HGB)均要显著低于不休息组(P<0.05);休息3h+玩具组在白细胞数(WBC)上显著高于不休组(P<0.05);休息3 h组的淋巴细胞绝对值(W-SCC)显著高于不休息组(P<0.05);而休息3 h+玩具组与休息3 h组在所有的免疫指标上都没有显著差异(P>0.05).根据上述的结果显示,宰前一定要让猪有一个休息的过程,这种措施能有效缓解猪的应激,并能恢复其免疫能力;在休息的过程中,添加部分福利玩具,至少对猪的精神状态有明显的好处.     

Repeated handling of pigs during rearing. II. Effect of reactivity to humans on aggression during mixing and on meat quality

The present study was designed to determine whether reactivity toward humans can be used to predict a pig's reactivity to the slaughter procedure as measured by postmortem muscle metabolism. Forty-two pigs were group-reared in six pens with straw-bedding. Pigs received regular positive (HI) or mildly negative (RC) handling training in a separate pen for 40 d before slaughter. Control pigs remained in their home pens throughout rearing. Pigs were slaughtered at a commercial packing plant, and half of each treatment group (HI, RC, or controls) was accompanied by the handler throughout mixing and transportation, as well as a portion of the lairage time and introduction to the holding pens situated before the slaughter room, whereas the other half was not accompanied by the handler. Muscle pH and temperature, objective color (L*, a*, and b* values), and drip loss were measured on the LM, biceps femoris, semimembranosus, and adductor femoris. Prior handling experience did not in itself influence ultimate meat quality (P > 0.37); however, the presence of the negative handler (RC pigs) at slaughter accelerated (P < 0.06) preslaughter glycogen breakdown in the LM. Fighting behavior during mixing explained between 13 and 32% of the variability of lightness (L* values) of the LM, biceps femoris, and semimembranosus. Visual contact with the handler at the start of the handling training and number of fights initiated explained between 31 and 42% of the variability in ultimate muscle pH. Latency to approaching the handler during human exposure tests explained 20% of the variability in initial muscle temperature of two muscles. Fighting behavior during mixing could be partly predicted from fighting during a food competition test conducted at the start of the rearing period. Results indicate that reactivity to humans and the tendency to fight determined, in part, meat quality in pigs of similar genetic and rearing backgrounds. These behavioral characteristics were, to some extent, determined early in life. Handling experience modified behavior toward the handler but correlations between behavioral characteristics and meat quality were not influenced by prior handling experience.     

Escherichia coli O157:H7 vaccine field trial in 9 feedlots in Alberta and Saskatchewan

A feedlot trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of an Escherichia coli O157:H7 vaccine in reducing fecal shedding of E. coli O157:H7 in 218 pens of feedlot cattle in 9 feedlots in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Pens of cattle were vaccinated once at arrival processing and again at reimplanting with either the E. coli O157:H7 vaccine or a placebo. The E. coli O157:H7 vaccine included 50 microg of type III secreted proteins. Fecal samples were collected from 30 fresh manure patties within each feedlot pen at arrival processing, revaccination at reimplanting, and within 2 wk of slaughter. The mean pen prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in feces was 5.0%; ranging in pens from 0% to 90%, and varying significantly (P < 0.001) among feedlots. There was no significant association (P > 0.20) between vaccination and pen prevalence of fecal E. coli O157:H7 following initial vaccination, at reimplanting, or prior to slaughter.     

An investigation on the effect of transport and lairage on the faecal shedding prevalence of Escherichia coli O157 in cattle

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of transport and lairage on the prevalence of Escherichia coli O157 faecal shedding and the subsequent contamination of beef carcasses. Individual rectal faecal samples were taken from two cohorts of cattle (109 and 59) at the farm before transport and at the abattoir post-transport and lairage. The entire outer and inner surfaces of the carcass of each animal were swabbed immediately following slaughter and dressing. The prevalence of E. coli O157 shedding in cattle sampled at farm, post-transport and lairage was 18% (20), 13% (14) and 12% (13) for cohort A and 1.7% (1), 1.7% (1) and 0 for cohort B, respectively. No E. coli O157 was recovered from the 168 dressed carcasses. In total, 98% (46 of 47) of the E. coli O157 isolates from cohort A were potentially pathogenic to man. Transport and lairage do not cause an increase in the prevalence of E. coli O157 faecal shedding in cattle. This study demonstrates that even positive cohorts of cattle may be slaughtered and processed to produce clean carcasses by following good hygienic practices.     

Estimating the body temperature of groups of pigs by thermal imaging

Measurements on 28 pens of pigs containing 384 animals to be slaughtered at a commercial abattoir showed that the mean ear temperatures of the pigs in each pen, measured with a thermal imaging camera, were significantly correlated (r=0.71, P<0.001) with the mean temperature of the blood the pigs lost at exsanguination. In measurements on 220 pigs in 16 of the 28 pens, the mean activity of serum creatine kinase was positively correlated with the mean ear temperature (r=0.55, P<0.05) and the mean concentration of serum cortisol was positively correlated with the mean blood temperature (r=0.50, P<0.05), suggesting that the hotter pigs were suffering from a higher level of stress.     

Epidemiological analysis of the Cyprus anti-echinococcosis campaign: II. The prevalence of hydatid cysts in slaughtered livestock,June–December, 1972

The distribution of livestock in Cyprus was described and analyzed by contingency table methods. Smaller numbers of sheep, goats and cattle were associated with Greek Cypriot villages. Sheep and goat densities were highest in Turkish Cypriot villages. Among the villages in which the slaughter of livestock was reported, the median percent prevalence of hydatid cysts was: 16.5% (range: 0–100%) in slaughtered sheep; 2.1% (0–100%) in slaughtered goats; 0.0% (0–100%) in slaughtered cattle; 0.0% (0–33%) in slaughtered pigs. The median numbers of livestock slaughtered in villages for the 6-month period were 45 sheep, 98 goats, 4 cattle and 32 pigs. The association between the prevalence of Echinococcus granulosus in the slaughtered sheep population (SHPPREV) of 254 villages of Cyprus and human, canine, and environmental factors, for the period June–December, 1972, was analyzed by step-wise multiple regression. Results showed that 25% of the total variation in SHPPREV was explained by 3 independent variables, total rainfall from the previous 6-month period (negatively correlated with SHPPREV), E. granulosus prevalence in dogs (positively correlated) and the percent village population composed of Turkish Cypriots (negatively correlated). Total rainfall from the previous 6-months period, alone, explained 19% of the total variation.