Preslaughter welfare, transport and antemortem inspection

Question 1

Mortality rate during transport - lambs, pigs, broilers

Answer 1

• lambs 0.02%
• pigs 0.07%
• broilers 0.25%

Question 2

Common cause - DOA - pigs

Answer 2

• hyperthermia

- metabolic acidosis

Question 3

Common causes - DOA - sheep

Answer 3

• smothering

- ill health

Question 4

Common causes - DOA - broilers

Answer 4

• CHF

- trauma

Question 5

Causes - fatal trauma in broilers

Answer 5

• dislocated/ broken hip 76%
• ruptured liver 11%
• head trauma 8%
• intrapertioneal haemorrhaging (not liver) 3%
• other 3%

Question 6

% carcasses with bruising (cattle, sheep, pigs)

Answer 6

• cattle 1.67%
• sheep 0.14%
• pigs 1.48%

Question 7

Causes - bruising

Answer 7

• prods
• high stocking density (trailer, lairage)
• fights as stressed (white marks)
• stress of mixing –> re-establish hierachy (mounting)

Question 8

What are red wing tips caused by?

Answer 8

• pre-slaughter
• slaughter: tonic clonic contractions post-mortem
• economic issue

Question 9

Why do hens have a much higher % broken bones than broilers?

Answer 9

osteoporosis (more likely if older birds, Ca deficient and sudden changes in lighting

Question 10

What are the causes of torn skin and what spp does this affect?

Answer 10

• contact with barbed wire, nails, metal stanchions - cattle, sheep, pigs
• dog bites - sheep
• horn raking - cattle, horned sheep
• teeth marks -pigs
• claw damage - ducks. turkeys, geese
• cages - salmon (overstocked)
• feather pecking - hens and turkeys

Question 11

Define DFD and DCB

Answer 11

• DFD = dry, firm dry pork
• DCB = dry, cutting beef
  = indicates stress pre-slaughter

Question 12

Define PSE

Answer 12

= pale soft exudative pork

- stressed at time of slaughter

Question 13

Describe high pH meat

Answer 13

pH at 24h is >6

Question 14

Describe PSE meat

Answer 14

• pH at 45 minute is

Question 15

Causes - high pH dark meat

Answer 15

• overexertion (sheep)
• long distance transport (cattle, pigs)
• long periods w/o food (pigs)
• long periods in lairage (pigs)
• cold exposure (turkeys)
• fighting (cattle, pigs)
• over-stocking (pigs)
• injury (sheep)
• dehydration (rabbits)

Question 16

Effects of dehydration

Answer 16

• poor welfare (thirst, headaches)
• difficult skin removal
• welfare/suffering issue
• sticky meat
• darker tougher eat
• smaller loin mm area

Question 17

How to avoid high pH meat:

Answer 17

• reduce pre-slaughter activity and stress
• allow recovery of mm glycogen after stress
• enhance mm glycogen storage

Question 18

What is the largest livestock export hub in UK?

Answer 18

• heathrow
• day old chicks (–> layers)
• -> all around world
• must be transported in 48h

Question 19

List transport stressors

Answer 19

• water/feed deprivation
• physical fatigue
• sleep deprivation
• social disruption
• injuries
• motion
• noise
• windchill
• heat stress

Question 20

Animals unfit for transport (legally)

Answer 20

• lame (severe - must be able to walk unassisted, weight bearing on all fours and stand for whole duration of transport)

Question 21

What is a casualty animal?

Answer 21

• animal that isn’t legally transportable otherwise signed off by a vet (e.g. a 3-legged animal that can stand)
• must be transported individually
• must be able to lie down
• determine at abattoir (ante-mortem inspection) if animal requires emergency slaughter, if so, take slaughter equipment to animal, don’t move! ensure prompt stunning, bleeding and evisceration. Trace hx to avoid repetition. Some abattoirs have a slaughter line just for casualty animals.

Question 22

T/F: stunning doesn’t legally kill an animal

Answer 22

True - legally you always have a have a second method (bleeding, prod in brain through hole made by captive bolt gun and macerate - NOT animals for human consumption though d/t risk of BSE prions entering food chain)

Question 23

Outline antemortem inspection

Answer 23

• CS of dz transmittable to animals/people
• welfare
• unfit for human consumption
• NSAIDs and other pharmacology (bute - horses)
• lame (casualty slaughter if can’t walk)
• dropped/distended udder (huge risk of teat damage, mastitis pain may be a lesser concern as not all cases of mastitis are painful)

Question 24

Method - reducing animals to single file

Answer 24

• funnel race
• stepped race
• crowding pen
• difficult with poultry d/t numbers. Best to point to modules/crates of birds, best to look at # DOAs and the condition of these (if find many catching injuries on DOA animals –> then look at production chain and ID cases of these)

Question 25

Antemortem inspection - poultry

Answer 25

• thermal and physical injury
• monitor DOA rate
• ID causes of death
• inspect live birds if cases of DOA
• examine birds for trauma
• assess hanging-on (waterbath stunning)
• assess disturbance b/w hanging on and waterbath
• check that runts tx humanely (shackles too big so fall through)
• initiate prevenatitve measures

Question 26

Purpose - grooved concrete floor (diamond shaped pattern)

Answer 26

Grip (one direction of groove –> animals fall over when turn corner)

Question 27

Problem of expanded metal floors

Answer 27

unwilling to walk over as animals feel like they are stepping into a void as concentrate on faeces etc below the grate

Question 28

Welded metal overlay - risks

Answer 28

• tripping
• pain
• sharp bits if poorly maintained
• trauma

Question 29

List distraction for animals (hamper walking)

Answer 29

• overhead
• ground level
• sideways