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.     

Meat quality and transport stress of cattle

This study evaluated the effect of transport time up to 14 hours and the effects of vehicle design on animal welfare, stress and meat quality. 18 transports (six short, medium and long) with a total of 486 animals (118 sample animals, heifers and bulls) were carried out on commercial vehicles in summer 2000 and winter 2001. Animal welfare and stress were evaluated by blood serum parameters, heart rate monitoring, behaviour recording and occurrence of carcass bruising. Meat quality was evaluated by post mortem muscle glycogen content, pH value, temperature, drip loss, colour and tenderness measurements. Heifers had lower heart rates than young bulls during loading (95 vs 114 beats per minute, bpm), whereas during transport, both had an average heart rate of 100 bpm, furthermore during unloading, heifers had higher heart rates than bulls (109 vs 100 bpm). Blood sampling during unloading could have marginally increased heart rates during the unloading procedure. Studied cattle had lower heart rates during medium and long distance transports compared with short transports. Monitoring of animal behaviour during transport showed that the former settled down faster than the latter. Single- and two-animal pens in medium and long distance vehicles prevented nervous and stressful movements of cattle, which were more prominent in large pens of short distance lorry. Present results suggest that larger pens of three or four animals could increase cattle stress during transport. Moreover during unloading, cattle loaded in single- or two-animals pens had significantly lower blood cortisol content than those loaded in larger groups of three or four animals (P < 0.01). The amount of severe carcass bruising was highest in animals transported over short times and loaded into groups of four cattle. Severe damages occurred most often on perianal and hipbone area of the carcass surface. Present results showed that muscle glycogen level was highest after long transport. These animals were fed more regularly from the last feeding up to stunning than medium or short distance animals. Animals in single-pens had the highest muscle glycogen level. Transport distance or number of animals in one pen had a minor effect on muscle pH values or temperatures during 24 hours post mortem (pm). Drip loss of the M. longissimus dorsi (LD) was highest after long transport, but animal number in one pen had no effect on drip loss. Colour of the LD muscle was independent on transport conditions. Light colour of three animal groups resulted from high amounts of heifers, which had lighter colour than bulls. All meat samples were quite tender. However, heifers had significantly tender meat than young bulls (P < 0.001). Higher amounts of heifers had the most tender meat after short transports. Mean DFD (dark, firm, dry) meat occurrence was 2.1% in this project, DFD frequency was lowest after short, then after long and highest after medium distance transports. Because of not evenly distributed numbers of bulls (low) and heifers (high) it was difficult to compare short and long distance transport effects.     

Effects of vehicle movements during transport on the stress responses and meat quality of sheep

Two groups of 26 lambs were transported for 15 hours either on smooth highways or on rougher secondary roads. Nine of the animals in each group were monitored for heart rate and the plasma levels of cortisol, creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase, before the journey began, after four, eight and 12 hours and at slaughter. The pH of the meat was measured 45 minutes and 24 hours postmortem and its colour was assessed 24 hours postmortem. The lambs transported on smooth roads had a lower heart rate and lower plasma cortisol concentrations after eight and 12 hours than the lambs transported on rougher roads. Twenty-four hours after slaughter the pH of the meat of the lambs transported on smooth roads was lower than that of the lambs transported on rougher roads.     

Long-distance transport of hair lambs: effect of location in pot-belly trailers on thermo-physiology,welfare and meat quality

Livestock transport exposes animals to a range of potential stressors that may compromise their welfare and final product quality, and those effects typically increase with the distance travelled. In North America, producers often use pot-belly vehicles for long hauls but little is known about their suitability for transporting lambs. We followed two long-distance trips using pot-belly trailers carrying 500 lambs (each) from Northern to Central Mexico in winter, to measure possible effects on animal welfare and meat quality. Sixty lambs per trip were placed at different locations within the pot-belly trailer. Animals were equipped with iButton Thermochron® temperature devices, which registered body temperature throughout pre- and post-slaughter stages. Despite the rather cool winter conditions, lambs placed in the “belly” and “nose” compartments had higher body temperatures at loading, during transport and lairage and after slaughter (carcass temperature). Those lambs also had higher levels of plasma cortisol, glucose and creatine kinase (CK), and a higher neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio. Regarding meat quality, ultimate pH (24 h) was higher in all locations, especially in LT4 location. Overall, the results suggest a link between thermal stress during transport, elevated physiological indicators of stress and poorer meat quality.     

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).     

Variations in meat pH of beef bulls in relation to conditions of transfer to slaughter and previous history of the animals

Animals are subjected to various events that cause physical exhaustion and psychological stress during transfer to slaughter. This can lead to defective meat quality. Some animals may be better able to withstand the stress of transfer, depending on their previous experience of transport and on their finishing conditions (mixing, farmers' attitudes). The objective of this study was to assess the impact of 1) the conditions of transfer to slaughter (including duration of the journey, waiting time at lairage, etc.); and 2) the bulls' previous history (including experience in transport, mixing during finishing, and the farmers' attitudes) on the reactions of bulls to transfer and on their meat quality. We conducted a survey in commercial conditions. The history of the bulls and the facilities on the farms were noted; farmers were questioned on their attitudes; the bulls' reactions to loading into and unloading from the truck were observed; journey-related data were collected; and cortisol concentration at slaughter and the pH of the LM and the rectus abdominis were measured. Our study confirmed that certain physical factors associated with transport can increase stress and limit the decline of meat pH. These factors include the absence of loading facilities on the farm, transport on a warm day, or a short waiting time at lairage. Social aspects also played a role; the presence of bulls from the same finishing group limited stress and improved the pH decline. Events and management before transfer were also of importance; the farmer awareness of the sensitivity of bulls to humans or to feeding schedules but the absence of a positive attitude toward close contacts with bulls were all likely to limit stress or its consequences on meat pH. Although these results need to be confirmed in controlled experiments, they suggest that good management of beef bulls before and during transfer is essential to meat quality.     

Recommendations for future development in cattle transport in Europe

Every year millions of calves and cattle are transported across, from and to Europe. Most of these animals are going to slaughter houses in the respective countries or in another community state or coming or going abroad (extra-EU). These transports give cause for concern for at least three reasons: First, it can cause severe stress in animals entailing poor welfare. Second, stressful transports may have a negative effect on meat quality. Third, there is the risk of spread of infectious diseases over large distances. Existing legislation does not provide enough protection to transported animals especially over long distances largely because considerable parts of the regulations are not sufficiently based on scientific evidence. In recent years some research is carried out including the EU financed CATRA research project (contract QLK5-CT 1999-0157) concentrating on the welfare and meat quality aspects of cattle transport. This paper summarises important results of this recent research and gives some recommendations for future legislation. The welfare of the animals is limited by their needs not by a fixed maximum transport time, if vehicle and transport conditions are appropriate. Bulls, steers and heifers are reacting differently on transport. Adapt transport schemes to the needs of the animals. Meat quality is only effected in extreme situations. Some animals develop an energy deficit after 6 h of transport. Develop appropriate feeding regimes for long transport. Abolish stressful loading and unloading in staging posts (injuries, infectious diseases). Staging posts are particularly stressful for bulls. Educate handlers and drivers more intensively. Pay drivers inverse to losses. Develop monitor systems for long and short distance transport (e.g. records, GPS). Improve vehicle design (e.g. vibration).     

Effects of road type during transport on lamb welfare and meat quality in dry hot climates

This study determined whether transporting lambs on paved (PR) or unpaved roads (UR) for 3 h had an effect on plasma stress indicators (cortisol, lactate, glucose, creatine kinase [CK], red blood cells, white blood cells, hematocrit, and neutrophil/lymphocyte [N/L] ratio) and instrumental meat quality (pH24, bruising score, water holding capacity [WHC], color, and texture). A total of 48 Rasa Aragonesa male lambs were used that were approximately 100 days old (12.5 kg ± 1.64, carcass weight). The results suggest that transport on unpaved roads had a significant influence on physiological and hematological stress parameters. Road type had a significant effect on all variables, except for white and red blood cells, and hematocrit levels. The UR lambs had significantly higher (at least p ≤ 0.01) cortisol, lactate, glucose, and CK levels and a higher N/L ratio than PR lambs. Meat from UR lambs had some dark-cutting characteristics, with a darker color, higher ultimate pH, and higher tenderness values than PR. In conclusion, lambs transported on unpaved roads had a more intense stress response and poorer meat quality than lambs transported on paved roads. An effort to improve the logistics associated with route planning is necessary to prevent welfare problems during transport to slaughter.     

Stress response of extensively reared young bulls being transported to growing-finishing farms under Spanish summer commercial conditions

To evaluate the effect of Spanish summer commercial journeys on the stress response of young bulls born and reared under extensive conditions, 2 replicates of a transport from an assembly centre to a growing-finishing farm were studied. Journeys lasted 27 h, involving a total of 62 young bulls. Variables under study included haematocrit, red blood cell count (RBC), total white blood cell count (WBC), differential WBC counts, serum haptoglobin (Hp), cortisol, glucose, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total protein, and albumin at loading, at the end of an intermediate market stop, and at the unloading. Before the beginning of the journey elevated WBC and neutrophil counts, and high Hp values were detected, reflecting high stress levels probably as a consequence of previous procedures associated with the grouping at the assembly centre. Some stress was also detected at the end of the market stop, with cortisol increasing from 6.5 to 12.6 ± 2.0 ng/mL (P < 0.001), although a change in Hp concentration was not observed. Neither CPK and LDH activities, related to muscular tissue damage, nor haematocrit and RBC count, related to dehydration revealed a significant effect of this first stage of the journey on the physical stress of the young bulls. Subsequent 13 h transport to the growing-finishing farm induced an increase in Hp levels from 0.48 to 0.78 ± 0.16 mg/mL (P < 0.001), reflecting an onset of the acute stress response, although cortisol levels immediately after the unloading were similar to those found before loading at the market, suggesting that calves got accustomed to transport. At the end of the journey some dehydration and physical stress were also detected. Overall, our study provides new information to the discussion of the effect of temperatures during cattle transport. Although an improvement in pre-transport conditions is essential if the welfare of assembled and transported cattle is to be improved, the stress-related alteration of cattle physiology under Spanish summer commercial transport conditions is similar to that observed under colder conditions.     

Physiological indicators of stress and meat and carcass characteristics in tail bitten slaughter pigs

Background

Tail biting is a common welfare problem in pig production and in addition to being a sign of underlying welfare problems, tail biting reduces welfare in itself. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of tail biting on different pre and post mortem indicators of stress in slaughter pigs and on carcass and meat characteristics. A total of 12 tail bitten (TB) and 13 control (C) pigs from a farm with a long-term tail biting problem were selected for salivary cortisol analyses before and after transport to the slaughterhouse. After stunning, samples were taken for the analysis of serum cortisol, blood lactate, intestinal heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), and meat quality characteristics. In addition, body temperature immediately after and muscle temperature 35 min after stunning were measured, as well as lean meat percentage and carcass weight.

Results

TB pigs showed a lower cortisol response to the transport-induced stress than C pigs and also had a lower serum cortisol concentration after stunning. HSP70 content in the small intestine was higher in the TB pigs than in C pigs. TB pigs had a considerably lower carcass weight therefore produced a lower total amount of lean meat per carcass than C pigs.

Conclusions

This study suggests that prolonged or repeated stress in the form of tail biting causes a blunted stress response, possibly a sign of hypocortisolism. In addition, it underlines the importance of reducing tail biting, both from an animal welfare and an economic point-of-view.     

Effects of transport, lairage and stunning on the concentrations of some blood constituents in horses destined for slaughter

The aim of the present study was to determine, in horses destined to slaughter, the effects of transport, lairage and stunning on some blood constituents related to stress. Twenty one horses culled from a race track due to poor athletic performance, transported weekly to a nearby slaughterhouse were used. Each horse was canulated through venipuncture of the right jugular vein with a central venous catheter which remained permanently until after the exsanguination. Through the catheter, blood samples were taken at 6 sampling times: one hour before loading of the horses, immediately after loading, at the end of the journey, immediately after unloading, after lairage, in the stunning box before stunning and during exsanguination. Blood samples were analyzed for the following variables: plasma lactate concentration, plasma creatine phosphokinase activity (CK), plasma glucose concentration, plasma cortisol concentration and packed cell volume (PCV). Time in the stunning box, number of stunning attempts, presence of return to consciousness signs and time between stunning and sticking were also recorded. The results for pre-mortem variables were: mean time in the stunning box 9 min 48 sec, 85.7% of the horses fell at the first stunning attempt, 57.2% of the horses showed signs of returning to consciousness after stunning and the most frequent interval between stunning and sticking was 1.01 to 2 min. Mean values for the blood variables showed a significant rise (P < 0.05) in the concentrations of lactate, glucose and cortisol, as well as CK activity and PCV during transport. The highest values for these blood constituents were seen before stunning and during exsanguination, except for cortisol concentration, which showed the highest values during the transport process.     

Influence of lairage time on some welfare and meat quality parameters in pigs

A total of 150 Large White cross Landrace pigs (110-120 kg) of both sexes were used to investigate the effects of three different lairage times (0 h, 3 h, 9 h). Blood samples were collected at exanguination and cortisol, glucose, lactate, muscle enzymes and haematological parameters were determined. Post-mortem measurements of muscle pH were taken at 20 min, 2 h and 24 h from Longissimus thoracis and Semimembranosus. Lairage time showed a significant effect on pH24, internal muscle reflectance using the fibre optic probe (FOP24), red blood cells, neutrophils and lymphocytes, glucose and enzymatic activities. Changes in blood profile and meat quality parameters indicated that three hours of lairage in Spanish commercial conditions may reduce the amount of stress exhibited by pigs at slaughter and better meat quality can be obtained. No lairage or an excessively long lairage period without food may compromise animal welfare and meat quality.     

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.     

Effect of the duration of commercial journeys between rearing farms and growing–finishing farms on the physiological stress response of weaned piglets

To find the effect of journey duration on the stress levels of weaned piglets a combination of physiological welfare indicators was used. One hundred and thirty-six piglets were monitored in two replicates of a short (0.6 h) and a long (8.3 h) commercial transport from a rearing to a growing–finishing farm. Variables studied were haematocrit, red blood cell count (RBC), total white blood cell count (WBC), differential WBC counts, serum pig's major acute phase protein (Pig-MAP), haptoglobin (Hp), cortisol, glucose, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total protein, and albumin before loading and immediately after unloading. A marked increase in leucocytes (P < 0.01) and a tendency to lower eosinophil concentrations (P = 0.086) were observed in those piglets transported during the short journeys. On the other hand, the decrease in lymphocytes was particularly remarkable in the long journeys (P < 0.01). No increase in Hp concentrations after the transports was found, but an increase in Pig-MAP concentrations was observed at the end of the long journeys (P < 0.001). Cortisol concentrations did not show significant changes in either short or long journeys. According to CPK (P < 0.05) and LDH activities, some physical fatigue was detected at the end of transports, particularly in the short journeys. The decrease in haematocrit values in the short journeys (P < 0.05), and the absence of variations in RBC, albumin, and total protein concentrations would indicate that the loss of body water during both transport durations was reduced. Sex did not affect the response of piglets to transport, which could be attributable to the young age of the animals. Changes in albumin concentrations (P < 0.05), together with the tendencies to higher WBC (P = 0.092) and neutrophil counts (P = 0.076), suggest a more marked response to the stress of transport in heterozygous for the halothane gene (Nn) piglets than in homozygous negative (NN) piglets. Overall results indicate that, although transports were generally stressful, it is unclear which of the two durations was more detrimental for piglet welfare, and suggest a different stress response to transport with respect to that of older pigs.     

Relationships between behavioral and meat quality characteristics of pigs raised under barren and enriched housing conditions.

In this study the effects of barren vs enriched housing conditions of pigs on their behavior during the lairage period (2-h holding period before slaughter), carcass characteristics, postmortem muscle metabolism, and meat quality were studied. The barren housing system was defined by common intensive housing conditions (i.e., with slatted floors and recommended space allowances), whereas the enriched environment incorporated extra space and straw for manipulation. Salivary cortisol concentrations were measured before transport and at the end of the lairage period. During the lairage period the percentage of time spent walking and fighting by the pigs was registered. Carcass characteristics such as weight, meat percentage, and backfat thickness were determined. At 5 min, 45 min, 4 h, and 24 h postmortem, pH, temperature, and lactate concentrations were determined in the longissimus lumborum (LL) and biceps femoris (BF) muscles. Capillarization of the muscle, mean muscle fiber area, and color and drip loss after 2 and 5 d of storage were determined for both muscle types. Pigs from the barren environment had a significantly higher increase in cortisol from farm to slaughter, but no differences in behavior were observed during the lairage period. Carcass characteristics did not differ between pigs from barren and those from enriched housing conditions. Postmortem lactate formation was significantly lower in LL muscles of enriched pigs at 4 and 24 h postmortem. Capillary density and mean muscle fiber area did not differ between the groups of pigs. The percentage of drip loss at 2 and 5 d after storage of LL muscle samples from enriched-housed pigs was significantly lower than that of the barren-housed pigs. Similar tendencies were found for the BF muscle from pigs kept in an enriched environment, but these were not statistically significant. The housing system did not affect meat color. It is concluded that on-farm improvement of animal welfare by environmental enrichment can also lead to beneficial economic effects after slaughter by improving the water-holding capacity of pork.     

Welfare issues related to transport and handling of both trained and unhandled horses and ponies

Dehydration and increased risk of respiratory problems are common outcomes of transport, and both appear to be related to journey duration, emotional effects, such as fear, and challenging environmental conditions. Welfare may be improved by familiarising equines with transport vehicles and loading procedures before travel starts, and by providing thermally comfortable and well ventilated conditions during the journey. For long road journeys, rest breaks with drinking water should be given. Both trained and unhandled animals should have sufficient space and freedom to adjust their posture and to lower their heads, but maximum safe space allowances are unknown. Mares and foals should be transported together. Injury during transport is relatively common, particularly in groups of horses travelling to slaughter, and is usually associated with driver error, internal fittings and vehicle type or design, but also with mixing of animals of different sex and weight leading to fighting. There needs to be better training and monitoring to prevent such avoidable risks to horse welfare. There is also a need for more research into appropriate prophylaxis and post transport therapy as knowledge of accumulated stress and depressed immune function following prolonged and repeated transport is poorly understood.     

Scoring system for evaluating the stress to cattle of commercial loading and unloading

The loading and unloading of cattle for road transport is stressful but the stress is difficult to evaluate in terms of the welfare of the cattle. Over one year, 40 normal commercial journeys in northern Spain were analysed in terms of time limits and behavioural events in order to design an objective method for assessing the stresses imposed on the animals, and a scoring method was developed for assessing the welfare of the animals during loading and unloading. Several definitions of time intervals were assessed to calculate a time score per animal, and easily observable behavioural events were scored and combined with the time score to obtain a total loading/unloading score. More than half of the loadings and unloadings involved turns, slips and vocalisations. Mounts and bouts of fighting were infrequent and balks and falls were significantly more frequent during loading than unloading. The plasma concentrations of cortisol, glucose and lactate, the activity of creatine kinase and the pH of the meat 24 hours after the animals were slaughtered were also measured. The results indicated that loading was more stressful than unloading and that higher scores implied significantly higher levels of stress.     

Effects of transportation during the hot season,breed and electrical stimulation on histochemical and meat quality characteristics of goat longissimus muscle

The effects of transportation and electrical stimulation (90 V) on physiological, histochemical and meat quality characteristics of two breeds of Omani goats were assessed. Twenty 1‐year‐old male goats from each breed (Batina and Dhofari) were divided into two groups: 3 h transported during the hot season (42°C day time temperature) and non‐transported. Animals were blood‐sampled before loading and prior to slaughter. Electrical stimulation was applied 20 min postmortem to 50% randomly selected carcasses of both breeds. Temperature and pH decline of the Longissimus was monitored. Ultimate pH, shear force, sarcomere length, myofibrillar fragmentation index, expressed juice, cooking loss and colour were measured from samples of Longissimus dorsi muscles. Electrical stimulation and transportation had a significant effect on most biochemical and meat quality characteristics of Longissimus dorsi. The transported goats had higher plasma cortisol (P < 0.01), adrenaline, nor‐adrenaline and dopamine concentrations (P < 0.05) than non‐transported goats. Electrical stimulation resulted in a significantly (P < 0.05) more rapid muscle pH fall during the first 12 h after slaughter. Muscles from electrically‐stimulated carcasses had significantly (P < 0.05) longer sarcomeres, lower shear force value, a lighter colour (higher L* value), higher expressed juice and myofibrillar fragmentation index than those from non‐stimulated ones. Meat from transported goats had significantly higher pH, expressed juice and shear force, but contained significantly lower sarcomere length and L* values than non‐transported goats. The proportion of the myosin ATPase staining did not change as a function of stimulation, transportation or breed. These results indicated that subjecting goats to transportation for 3 h under high ambient temperatures can generate major physiological and muscle metabolism responses. Electrical stimulation improved quality characteristics of meat from both groups. This indicates that electrical stimulation may reduce detrimental effects of transportation on meat quality of Omani goats.     

Pentobarbitone inhibits the stress response to transport in male goats

Pentobarbitone (20 mg/kg i.v.) blocked plasma cortisol release when administered either before a 20 min journey or during a 2 h journey. This confirms that pentobarbitone can block stimulated, as well as resting, cortisol secretion. In general, blood glucose concentrations were not increased above 90 mg/100 ml until at least 30 min after the start of transport; however, this increase was also blocked by pentobarbitone administered 30 min into the 2 h journey. Significant increases in respiratory and heart rates occurred within 15 min of the start of transport; pentobarbitone caused an immediate decrease in these parameters. In conclusion, pentobarbitone was shown to reverse many metabolic changes induced by transport.     

The influence of farmers' behavior on calves' reactions to transport and quality of veal meat

The relationships between farmers' behavior toward veal calves, calves' responses to handling and transport, and veal meat quality were assessed. Two groups of 10 veal units were selected based on previous observed farmers' behavior toward the calves: one group consisted of farmers who had shown predominantly "positive" behavior toward the calves, and the other group of farmers had shown predominantly "negative" behavior. Calves were observed for their reactions to people at the unit, and 20 calves per veal unit were transported either directly to the slaughterhouse or subjected to additional transport consisting of a supplementary 20-min transport with additional unloading and loading. The effort needed to load the calves onto the truck and their behavior during loading was observed. During loading and unloading, and during lairage at the slaughterhouse, potentially traumatic incidents (falling down, hits against structures, slips) were recorded, and heart rate and cortisol measurements were taken. Carcasses were evaluated on their weight, color, conformation, pH, and bruise level. A meat sample was taken from the longissimus thoracis muscle for physical, chemical, and sensory analysis. Calves originating from "positive behavior" units showed fewer fear responses to people at the veal unit, needed less effort to be loaded to the truck, had lower heart rates during loading and unloading, and had fewer incidents at the slaughterhouse than calves from "negative behavior" units (P < 0.05). Carcasses from calves from "positive behavior" units were paler, and analyses of the meat sample revealed lower pH, moisture level, and redness compared to carcasses from calves from "negative behavior" units (P < 0.05). Additional transport led to a lower cortisol level after transport and to higher carcass pH values at slaughter compared to direct transport (P < 0.05) but did not affect meat quality. We concluded that farmers' positive behavior toward veal calves during rearing is likely to reduce the emotional responses of calves to handling and transport and to lead to fewer incidents, compared to negative behavior. This reduction of calves' emotional responses seems to be the reason for improved veal meat color.