Professional paper

Estimation of animal welfare in slaughterhouses

Irena Petak ; Hrvatsko veterinarsko društvo 1893 Scoietas Veterinaria Croatica, Odjel za dobrobit i zaštitu životinja, Hrgovići 63, 10000 Zagreb
Tomislav Mikuš ; Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Veterinarski fakultet, Zavod za higijenu i tehnologiju animalnih namirnica, Heinzelova 55, 10000 Zagreb,

Abstract

Pre-slaughter stress aff ects the quality of animal meat and is subject to discussions in professional circles related to animal welfare.
Causes of stress can be animal handling before coming to a slaughterhouse, unloading animals in an unknown environment, keeping
them in a depot and inspection, then improperly conducted stunning and slaughtering. Regarding the length, acute and chronic
stresses are diff erentiated. Each of them is refl ected in meat diff erently. Killing an animal should cause a minimum stress to it, so
slaughterhouses should ensure human conditions before and during the slaughter. There are several objective indicators of animal
welfare in slaughterhouses, and they are: the number of animals which slip or fall, the number of animals which have to be encouraged
to move, their crying and behavior. Basic causes of problems related to animal welfare in slaughterhouses are bad equipment
and methods, factors which distract and interfere with moving of animals, lack of education of slaughterhouse employees, weak
maintenance of equipment and facilities, weak conditions of animals which come to a slaughterhouse, as well as genetic lines of
animals which don’t handle stress well. Applying the animal welfare legislation in Croatia will only be possible through a constant
education of slaughterhouse employees.

Keywords

animal welfare; slaughter; stress

Hrčak ID:

72570

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/72570

Publication date:

15.2.2011.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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