Abattoir meat inspection has been proposed for the collection of welfare outcomes. The identification of suitable animal-based measures (ABM) is still a critical point that needs to be implemented to avoid collinearity among measures. The present study aims to benchmark the presence of ABM such as skin and tail lesions and ham defects in carcasses from 79 batches of Italian Heavy pigs and to identify possible relationships between the assessed ABM and pre-slaughter factors such as the season and the overnight lairage. Furthermore, the study also considers the effect of pre-slaughter conditions and ABM on carcass traits parameters (cold carcass weight and lean meat percentage). Skin and tail lesions were recorded at the slaughter line. The presence of abscesses, muscle tears and veining defects were assessed in the hams at trimming, according to the Parma Ham Consortium. A multivariate analysis was performed to identify relationships between ABM and pre-slaughter factor; therefore, a linear model was built to assess the effect on carcass weight and lean meat percentage. Main welfare issues were represented by skin and tail lesions and muscle tears (prevalence above 10%). Multivariate analysis evidenced that skin lesions and veining defects were mostly associated with the warm season. Abscesses and muscle tears in the hams were more likely related to overnight lairage, while tail lesions contributed equally to both season and lairage. Moreover, lairage related factors showed to affect lean meat percentage. The findings of the present study suggest that ham defects might be useful indicators of pre-slaughter stress. The validation of these findings with physiological parameters could be of interest for further studies.

Piglets experience welfare issues during the nursery phase. This pilot study aimed to test a protocol for identifying the main welfare issues in suckling piglets and to investigate relationships among animal-based indicators and management conditions. Litters (n = 134), composed of undocked and tail-docked piglets, were assessed at two farms. After birth, observations were made at the age of 7 days and 20 days. At each observation, housing conditions (HCs) were measured, and 13 animal-based indicators, modified from Welfare Quality, Classyfarm, Assurewel and others introduced ex novo, were recorded. A generalized linear mixed model was used, considering animal-based indicators as dependent variables and farm, piglets’ age, tail docking and HCs as independent variables. The main welfare issues were lesions of the limb (32.6%) and the front area of the body (22.8%), a poor body condition score (BCS) (16.1%), ear lesions (15.5%), and tail lesions (9.7%). Negative social behaviour (e.g., fighting and biting) represented 7.0% of the active behaviour, with tail biting observed in 8.7% of the piglets. While lesions on the front areas of the body were mostly associated with the farm, tail lesions, low BCS, tear staining, and diarrhoea were associated with light and nest temperature (p < 0.05). In particular, tail biting increased with scarce light (p = 0.007). Tail docking did not influence any animal-based indicator except for tear staining which was higher in the tail-docked as compared to the undocked piglets (p = 0.05), increasing awareness on this practice as a source of negative emotion in piglets. The protocol tested may be a promising tool for assessing on-farm piglets’ welfare.

Recording lesions at the abattoir provides information for benchmarking pig health and welfare conditions. The study involved 79 batches of Italian heavy pigs, mainly tail-docked. The aim of the study was to identify the prevalence of anatomopathological lesions and to identify relationships with carcass traits. The scoring of enzootic pneumonia-like lesions (EP), chronic pleuritis (CP), dorso-caudal pleuritis, white spots on the liver and tail lesions (TLs) was carried out. Relationships among the lesions, the season of slaughter, slaughtering age and carcass traits were tested using logistic regression. Enzootic pneumonia-like lesions were observed on 30.20% (±14.94) of the lungs with an average score of 0.91 (±0.77). The prevalence of CP was 38.07% (±15.86) with an average score of 0.83 (±0.34) and an A. pleuropneumoniae index (APPI) of 0.71 (±0.39). The prevalence of pericarditis and peritonitis was 5.5% (±3.73) and 1.09% (±0.64), respectively. White spots on the liver showed a prevalence of 12.94% (±23.60) and an average score of 0.02 (±0.04). The prevalence of TLs was 34.08% (±11.21); 29.64% (±11.21) showed moderate damage, and 4.44% (±5.02) severe damage, not associated with pulmonary lesions or carcass traits. Dorso-caudal pleuritis, suggestive of previous Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection, remained similar and was strongly associated with a higher lean meat percentage. Additional studies are necessary to better understand this association. The results showed that preventive measures against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae are deemed necessary to reduce dorso-caudal pleuritis and to improve pig health and carcass value. HIGHLIGHTSCardiopulmonary lesions and tail lesions are indicative of poor welfare and loss of profit in the pork chain and could share common risk factors; Dorso-caudal pleuritis, suggestive of previous Actinobacillus pneumoniae infection, was associated with carcass traits; Tail lesions were not associated with lung lesions or carcass traits. Both lesions can share similar risk factors but have different aetiologies.