Data di Pubblicazione:
2015
Citazione:
Survey on pre-slaughter handling and skin damages on pig carcasses / A. Arduini, V. Pace, V. Redaelli, F. Luzi, L. Nanni Costa. - In: ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE. - ISSN 1828-051X. - 14:suppl. 1(2015), pp. 43-43. ((Intervento presentato al 21. convegno ASPA Congress tenutosi a Milano nel 2015.
Abstract:
Various stages during pre-slaughter handling, such transportation, lairage, and stress immediately before slaughter can negatively affect animals welfare and quality of carcasses. Rough
practices at loading and unloading and inappropriate driving
style of trucks and pigs may lead to serious skin damages. They
represent a relevant economic losses, especially if are located on
the most valuable cuts such as hams, loins and shoulders. In
order to study the relationship between pre-slaughter handling
and skin damages, a survey was carried out from January to June
2014 at one abattoir located in the Lombardia region. Data were
collected from 1680 heavy pigs delivered from one farm to the
slaughterhouse in 12 batches, each containing 140 subjects.
Double trailer lorries with three hydraulic deck were used. At
unloading of each deck, vocalizations, slips, falls, overlapping,
balking and reversal were recorded. Resting duration and time
requested to drive pigs to the stunning cage were measured.
During this latter procedure, the same behavioural occurrences
considered at the unloading were also recorded. Before evisceration, skin damages on regions of ham, loin, shoulder and head
of each carcass were assessed by one trained inspector assigning
for each region a score from 1 (absent) to 5 (serious). Score’s
averages were found higher on carcasses of pigs transported into
the trailer with respect to those transported into the lorry. Scores
were affected by deck of the lorry, the upper showing the higher
score. Behavioural occurrences, resting time and driving showed
weak relationships with the damage scores. Probably, the handling carried out by the staff of slaughterhouse could be responsible of this result. This research highlights that some stages
before and during transport could be more involved in skin damages than handling at the slaughterhouse. However, additional
research is necessary to understand the role of pre-slaughter
handling on the presence of skin damages on pig carcasses.
Acknowledgments
The Authors thanks for assistance the Quality Assurance staff of
the abattoir. This research was supported by Regione Lombardia,
Programma di Sviluppo Rurale 2007-2013, Misura 124.
Tipologia IRIS:
01 - Articolo su periodico
Keywords:
Handling, pigs, carcass.
Elenco autori:
A. Arduini, V. Pace, V. Redaelli, F. Luzi, L. Nanni Costa
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