EFFECT OF TRANSPORT AND PRE-SLAUGHTER HANDLING ON WELFARE AND MEAT QUALITY OF CATTLE IN BAUCHI STATE, NIGERIA

Résumé

The study was conducted to assess the effect of transportation and pre-slaughter handling on welfare and
meat quality of cattle. A pre-feasibility study was done to observe and record the behaviour of the animals
as they are being moved by cattle handlers from the cattle market until they were slaughtered in the
abattoir. Meat from 20 poorly-handled cattle were sampled for determination of pH value. Each sample
was taken immediately after slaughter, placed in an air tight bag and put into an ice chest. To investigate
carcass bruising, 200 carcasses were evaluated at random for bruises as they were been transported to theabattoir. Three evaluation categories that were used in this system are: “none”, denoting a clean nonbruised surface; “slight” denoting a reddish area with damage on the surface and “severe”, meaning the bruise is reddish, deep and bleeding damage can be observed on the surface. The result of the study showed that, prominent among the behaviours regularly exhibited by the cattle during handling were raising of tail, kicking, lying down and refusing to move and jumping. Among the inhumane methods of handling by cattle handlers, whiping ranked highest. The percentage cooking loss of meat samples from the cattle that were subjected to poor handling ranged from 19.10–34.70 with a mean of 22.51 ± 3.25. Of the 500 carcasses that were visually observed for bruises, 18% had no bruises, 60% showed slight bruises while 22% showed severe bruises. In total, 82.2% of the carcasses observed were bruised. It was concluded that, the indications of compromised welfare of the cattle were feed and water, avoidance of the use of animal rest stops, overcrowding in vehicles, non-protection against bad weather, and maltreatment of animals by handlers. It was therefore recommended that, the compromised welfare situation of slaughter animals during transport and slaughter should be brought to the attention of stakeholders in the business