Animal welfare and carcass quality of hair sheep slaughtered in a meat processing plant from Córdoba, Colombia

• Main Authors: Lorena Aguayo-Ulloa, Sandra Carolina Perdomo-Ayola
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria (Corpoica) 2021-04-01
• Series: Ciencia y Tecnología Agropecuaria
• Subjects: animal health; animal transport; meat industry; pre-slaughter handling; sheep
• Online Access: http://revistacta.agrosavia.co/index.php/revista/article/view/1836/868

A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at a slaughterhouse (SH) located in the Córdoba Department, Colombia. It aims to determine sheep transportation characteristics, pre-slaughter handling, and carcass quality indicators related to animal welfare. We observed 18 unloads and 883 sheep carcasses and recorded vehicle, journey, load data, animal handling characteristics at the SH, and carcass quality in terms of pH and bruises. The average distance was 58.9 kilometers. The transported sheep’s average weight was 26.8 ± 6 kg, and load density was between 38.7 and 275.9 kg/m2. The waiting time at the SH and truck unloading took 21.7 and 38.7 minutes on average, respectively. 88.3 % of the animals entered the stunning area pulled or pushed by the operator in charge. The average time between stunning and bleeding was 74 seconds. 29.2 % of the carcasses had some degree bruising; 78.8 % affected only subcutaneous tissue and 21.2 % muscle tissue. 58.9 % of bruises were < 5 cm in diameter, 23.6 % between 5 and 10 cm, and 17.4 % > 10 cm. The loin was the most affected anatomical region, with 49.8 % of the bruising. The average pH24 hours was 5.81. In general, sheep destined for slaughter travel at high load densities are highly manipulated before slaughter and show animal welfare indicators in the carcass related to stress sources.