Welfare of cattle at slaughter

Area of Science:

• Animal Welfare Science
• Food Production Systems
• Veterinary Public Health

Background:

• Cattle slaughtering occurs on-farm or in slaughterhouses, involving distinct pre-stunning, stunning, and bleeding phases.
• Assessing animal welfare during slaughter is critical for ethical and quality control in the meat industry.
• Existing research highlights potential welfare issues across various stages of the slaughter process.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically identify and characterize welfare hazards during cattle slaughter.
• To link identified hazards to specific welfare consequences and animal-based measures.
• To propose preventive and corrective measures, focusing on staff training and management.

Main Methods:

• Categorization of slaughter processes into pre-stunning, stunning (mechanical and electrical), and bleeding.
• Identification and characterization of 40 distinct welfare hazards.
• Analysis of hazard origins, attributing most to staff skill deficits or fatigue.
• Development of outcome tables linking hazards, consequences, measures, and origins.

Main Results:

• Twelve specific welfare consequences for cattle were identified, including stress, pain, and fear.
• Forty welfare hazards were identified, with a significant concentration in stunning and bleeding phases.
• Staff-related factors (skill, fatigue) were identified as the origin of 39 hazards.
• Structural and managerial measures were highlighted as critical for hazard prevention.

Conclusions:

• Improving cattle welfare during slaughter requires addressing hazards related to stunning and bleeding.
• Enhanced staff training and fatigue management are essential for mitigating risks.
• Implementing robust structural and managerial strategies is key to preventing welfare compromises.