Effects of trailer design on animal welfare parameters and carcass and meat quality of three Pietrain crosses being transported over a long distance

Weschenfelder, A. V.; Torrey, S.; Devillers, N.; Crowe, T.; Bassols, A.; Saco, Y.; Pineiro, M.; Saucier, L.; Faucitano, L.

doi:10.2527/jas.2011-4676

Cited by 9 publications

(19 citation statements)

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“…However, similarly to previous studies (Nanni Costa et al 1999, Weschenfelder et al 2012, Correa et al 2013, in this study loading and unloading pigs using an hydraulic system did not influence skin lesions in neither live pigs nor carcasses (P > 0.05; table 4). Since a higher number of pigs in one compartment increases the probability of contacts between pigs, there could be an effect of truck type on the incidence of pigs with skin lesions at unloading and on the number of carcass lesions.…”

Section: Skin Lesionssupporting

confidence: 86%

“…However, this result is not economically important as the a* value is still within the range of normal meat quality. Other studies also failed to find effects of hydraulic vs. ramp use at loading and unloading on meat quality traits (Dalla Costa et al 2007, Ludtke et al 2012, Weschenfelder et al 2012. The distribution shown in table 6 is in agreement with Araujo (2009) who evaluated the meat quality in pig abattoirs in Brazil.…”

Section: Meat Quality Traitssupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Pigs transported on the HD truck showed lower (P < 0.05) blood cortisol levels than those located on the FD truck. Reduced exsanguination blood cortisol levels in pigs handled using hydraulic systems compared with ramps were previously reported by Ludtke et al (2012) and Weschenfelder et al (2012) and would indicate that incomplete recovery from the psychological stress of negotiating a ramp in FD pigs.…”

Section: Physiological Responsesupporting

confidence: 57%

“…The shorter loading and unloading time in the HD truck may be explained by the easier handling at loading and unloading (scores = 4.0 and 3.4, respectively; P < 0.05) compared with the FD truck (scores = 1.5 and 1.3, respectively; P < 0.05). These results are not surprising as they confirm the significant improvement in the easiness of loading and unloading pigs when hydraulic systems are used instead of sloped ramps (Brown et al 2005, Weschenfelder et al 2012, Garcia and McGlone 2015. The aforementioned observations are relevant to the performance of pre-slaughter phase because an increase in loading and unloading times, associated with handling difficulties, may prompt exhaustion of handler team and lead to losses in manpower quality.…”

Section: Handlingmentioning

confidence: 69%

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Ease of handling, physiological response, skin lesions and meat quality in pigs transported in two truck types

Costa

Faucitano

et al. 2016

Arch. med. vet.

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Section: Skin Lesionssupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Meat Quality Traitssupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Physiological Responsesupporting

confidence: 57%

Section: Handlingmentioning

confidence: 69%

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Ease of handling, physiological response, skin lesions and meat quality in pigs transported in two truck types

Costa

Faucitano

et al. 2016

Arch. med. vet.

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“…Ethogram of pig behavior during loading and unloading (Weschenfelder et al, 2012) pens on the basis of the treatment group (no mixing). In lairage, pigs were kept at a stocking density of 0.43 re?!…”

Section: Animals and Treatmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of ractopamine administration and castration method on the response to preslaughter stress and carcass and meat quality in pigs of two Piétrain genotypes1

Rocha

Bridi

Foury

et al. 2013

Journal of Animal Science

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The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of ractopamine supplementation, castration method, and their interaction on the behavioral and physiological response to preslaughter stress and carcass and meat quality of 2 Piétrain genotypes. A total of 1,488 male pigs (115 ± 5 kg BW) were distributed according to a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. The first factor was ractopamine supplementation with 2 groups of pigs (376 and 380 pigs each) receiving 7.5 mg/kg of ractopamine (RAC) or not (NRAC) in their diet during the last 28 d of the finishing period. The second factor was castration method, with 744 surgical castrates (SC) and 744 immunized males (IM), and the third factor was the genotype with 2 crossbreeds containing 50% (genotype A, GA; n = 744) or 25% (genotype B, GB; n = 744) Piétrain genetics. Surgical castration took place at 2 d of age, whereas immunization against gonadotropin-releasing factor (GnRF) was performed through 2 subcutaneous injections of GnRF analog (Improvest, 2 mL) at 10 and 4 wk before slaughter. At loading more vocal stimulation was needed by the handler to drive GB pigs forward through the farm alley (P = 0.01) and RAC-fed GB pigs through the ramp (P = 0.02). Feeding RAC to IM increased the number of fights in lairage compared with SC (P = 0.03). Feeding RAC shortened fighting bouts compared with NRAC pigs (P = 0.05). The SC-GA pigs showed a greater gastrointestinal tract temperature during unloading (P = 0.05) and lairage time (P = 0.03). Blood creatine kinase (CK) concentrations were greater (P = 0.04) in SC compared with IM, and no difference was found in the concentrations of stress hormones in urine collected postmortem. Dressing yield was greater (P = 0.01) in RAC and SC-GB pigs. Carcasses from RAC pigs and IM were leaner than those from NRAC and SC pigs (P < 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively). Feeding RAC to IM increased drip loss in the LM (P = 0.05). Warner-Bratzler shear force values were slightly greater in the LM from RAC-GB pigs and from IM compared with SC (P = 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively) and in the semimembranosus muscle of RAC pigs (P = 0.006). In conclusion, immunization against GnRF more than the use of Piétrain genotypes appears to be a viable alternative to the use of ractopamine, as it seems to promote production of lean carcasses without compromising animal welfare and pork quality.

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Long-distance transport of hair lambs: effect of location in pot-belly trailers on thermo-physiology, welfare and meat quality

Lama

Rodríguez-Palomares

Cruz-Monterrosa

et al. 2017

Trop Anim Health Prod

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Livestock transport exposes animals to a range of potential stressors that may compromise their welfare and final product quality, and those effects typically increase with the distance travelled. In North America, producers often use pot-belly vehicles for long hauls but little is known about their suitability for transporting lambs. We followed two long-distance trips using pot-belly trailers carrying 500 lambs (each) from Northern to Central Mexico in winter, to measure possible effects on animal welfare and meat quality. Sixty lambs per trip were placed at different locations within the pot-belly trailer. Animals were equipped with iButton Thermochron® temperature devices, which registered body temperature throughout pre- and post-slaughter stages. Despite the rather cool winter conditions, lambs placed in the "belly" and "nose" compartments had higher body temperatures at loading, during transport and lairage and after slaughter (carcass temperature). Those lambs also had higher levels of plasma cortisol, glucose and creatine kinase (CK), and a higher neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio. Regarding meat quality, ultimate pH (24 h) was higher in all locations, especially in LT4 location. Overall, the results suggest a link between thermal stress during transport, elevated physiological indicators of stress and poorer meat quality.

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Effects of trailer design on animal welfare parameters and carcass and meat quality of three Pietrain crosses being transported over a long distance

Cited by 9 publications

References 0 publications

Ease of handling, physiological response, skin lesions and meat quality in pigs transported in two truck types

Ease of handling, physiological response, skin lesions and meat quality in pigs transported in two truck types

Effects of ractopamine administration and castration method on the response to preslaughter stress and carcass and meat quality in pigs of two Piétrain genotypes1

Long-distance transport of hair lambs: effect of location in pot-belly trailers on thermo-physiology, welfare and meat quality

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