Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T11:46:50.186Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Bruises in culled cows: when, where and how are they inflicted?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 October 2012

A. C. Strappini ,
J. H. M. Metz ,
C. Gallo ,
K. Frankena ,
R. Vargas ,
I. de Freslon  and
B. Kemp
A. C. Strappini*
Affiliation:
Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Casilla 567, Isla Teja, Valdivia, Chile
J. H. M. Metz
Affiliation:
Farm Technology Group, Department of Agrotechnology and Food Sciences, Wageningen University, PO Box 17, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
C. Gallo
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Casilla 567, Isla Teja, Valdivia, Chile
K. Frankena
Affiliation:
Quantitative Veterinary Epidemiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands
R. Vargas
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Casilla 567, Isla Teja, Valdivia, Chile
I. de Freslon
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Casilla 567, Isla Teja, Valdivia, Chile
B. Kemp
Affiliation:
Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands
*
E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

In Chile, cow carcasses present the highest bruise prevalence compared with other cattle categories; however, the causes of the bruises are frequently unknown. In this study, 52 cull cows were transported to the slaughterhouse in three batches under identical transport conditions. A combination of direct observation and video analyses was used to determine moment, pre-slaughter stage and cause of potential bruising events during the period from loading on the farm until stunning at the slaughterhouse. After slaughter, number of bruises, location on the carcass and characteristics of the bruises were assessed. Seventy-eight bruises were observed on 37 carcasses. Fifty-two bruises were linked back to their causal event. Results showed that 46% of these bruises were a result of interactions between animal and facility, and most of them were inflicted in the stunning box, 27% of the bruises originated from animal–animal interactions and were mostly inflicted during lairage, another 27% was a result of human–animal interactions and were mostly inflicted during loading and unloading of animals. The percentages of potential bruising events resulting in a bruise were 43%, 9% and less than 1% for animal–facility, human–animal and animal–animal interactions, respectively. Most bruises on the back site were inflicted when the animal was in the stunning box (91.2%), whereas bruises on the pin site were mostly (75%) inflicted during loading at the farm. One may conclude that in relative short journeys (⩽4 h) directly from farm to the slaughterhouse and long lairage times (>12 h), most bruises are the result of circumstances at the slaughterhouse. A substantial amount of these bruises could be avoided by proper animal handling and adequate stunning facilities.

Keywords

bruisescowstransportpre-slaughter handling
Type
Behaviour, welfare and health
Information
animal , Volume 7 , Issue 3 , March 2013 , pp. 485 - 491
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Blackshaw, JS, Blackshaw, AW, Kusano, T 1987. Cattle behaviour in a saleyard and its potential to cause bruising. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 27, 753–757.Google Scholar
Broom, DM 1986. Indicators of poor welfare. British Veterinary Journal 142, 524–526.Google Scholar
Broom, DM 2003. Causes of poor welfare in large animal during transport. Veterinary Research Communication 27, 515–518.Google Scholar
Chile INN (Instituto Nacional de Normalización) 2002. Norma Chilena Oficial NCh 1306. Definiciones y tipificación, Canales de bovino.Google Scholar
Chile MINAGRI (Ministerio de Agricultura) 2005 . Reglamento general de transporte de ganado y carne bovina. Decreto No. 240. Publicado en el Diario Oficial de la República de Chile el 26 de Octubre de 1993. Modificado por Decreto Supremo No. 5.Google Scholar
Chile MINAGRI (Ministerio de Agricultura) 2009 . Reglamento sobre estructura y funciona miento de mataderos, cámaras frigoríficas y plantas de desposte y fija equipamiento mínimo de tales establecimientos. Diario Oficial de la República, Decreto No. 61.Google Scholar
Cockram, MS, Lee, RA 1991. Some pre slaughter factors affecting the occurrence of bruising in sheep. British Veterinary Journal 147, 1–20.Google Scholar
Gallo, C 2009. Bienestar animal y buenas prácticas de manejo animal relacionadas con la calidad de la carne. In Introducción a la ciencia de la carne (ed. G Bianchi and O Feed), pp. 455–494. Editorial Hemisferio Sur, Montevideo, Uruguay.Google Scholar
Grandin, T 2000. Livestock handling and transport, 2nd edition. CAB International, Wallingford, Oxon, UK.Google Scholar
Gregory, N 2004. Pain: pain associated with trauma. In Physiology and behaviour of animal suffering. Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) (ed. J. Kirkwood, R. Hubrecht and E. Roberts), pp. 94–103. Blackwell publishing, Oxford, UK.Google Scholar
Jarvis, A, Cockram, M 1994. Effects of handling and transport on bruising of sheep sent directly from farms to slaughter. Veterinary Record 135, 523–525.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jarvis, A, Selkirk, L, Cockram, M 1995. The influence of source, sex class and pre-slaughter handling on the bruising of cattle at two slaughterhouses. Livestock Production Science 43, 215–224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenny, FJ, Tarrant, PV 1987. The behaviour of young Friesian bulls during social re-grouping at an abattoir. Influence of an overhead electrified wire grid. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 18, 233–246.Google Scholar
María, GA 2008. Meat quality. In Long distance transport and welfare of farm animals (ed. MC Appleby, VA Cussen, L Garcés, LA Lambert and J Turner) CAB International, Oxfordshire, UK.Google Scholar
Martin, P, Bateson, P 1996. Measuring behaviour. An introductory guide, 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press, UK.Google Scholar
Minka, NS, Ayo, JO 2007. Effects of loading behaviour and road transport stress on traumatic injuries in cattle transported by road during the hot-dry season. Livestock Science 107, 91–95.Google Scholar
Nanni Costa, L, Lo Fiego, DP, Tassonel, F, Russo, V 2006. The relationship between carcass bruising in bulls and behaviour observed during pre-slaughter phases. Veterinary Research Communications 30, 379–381.Google Scholar
ODEPA 2011 (Oficina de Estudios y Políticas Agrarias) . Beneficio de Ganado por especie y número de animales. Retrieved December 20, 2011, from http://www.odepa.gob.cl. Oficina de estadísticas y Censos.Google Scholar
OIE (Office International des Epizooties) World Organization for Animal Health 2011 . Terrestrial Animal Health Code. Chapter 7, 3.8. Guidelines for the transport of animals by land 2011.Google Scholar
Pinedo, P, Risco, C, Melendez, P 2011. A retrospective study on the association between different lengths of the dry period and subclinical mastitis, milk yield, reproductive performance, and culling in Chilean dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 94, 106–115.Google Scholar
SAS. 9.0 2004. Statistical software analysis. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA.Google Scholar
Strappini, AC, Frankena, K, Gallo, C, Metz, J, Kemp, B 2010. Prevalence and risk factors for bruises in Chilean bovine carcasses. Meat Science 86, 859–864.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Strappini, AC, Frankena, K, Metz, JHM, Gallo, C, Kemp, B 2012. Characteristics of bruises in carcasses of cows sourced from farms or from livestock markets. Animal 6, 502–509.Google Scholar
Warriss, PD 1990. The handling of cattle pre-slaughter and its effects on carcass and meat quality. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 28, 171–186.Google Scholar
Weeks, CA, McNally, PW, Warriss, PD 2002. Influence of the design of facilities at auction markets and animal handling procedures on bruising in cattle. Veterinary Record 150, 743–748.Google Scholar