Assessment of the impact of pre-slaughter handling and transportation on animal welfare and beef quality in Dendi and Welmara districts, Ethiopia

During transport from farms to abattoirs, animals may be subjected to un-favorable conditions leading to a compromise of animal welfare and reduced meat quality. The impact of pre-slaughter handling and transportation on animal welfare and beef quality was investigated in relation to Dendi and Welma...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Amanuel Bekuma, Tekalign Tadesse
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-12-01
Series:Cogent Food & Agriculture
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311932.2024.2303822
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1846125818053394432
author Amanuel Bekuma
Tekalign Tadesse
author_facet Amanuel Bekuma
Tekalign Tadesse
author_sort Amanuel Bekuma
collection DOAJ
description During transport from farms to abattoirs, animals may be subjected to un-favorable conditions leading to a compromise of animal welfare and reduced meat quality. The impact of pre-slaughter handling and transportation on animal welfare and beef quality was investigated in relation to Dendi and Welmara districts markets and abattoirs. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to gather detailed information on the pre-, during-, and post-slaughter processes from 200 respondents. 70 meat swab samples were collected from desirable animal parts to determine the microbial load, and 100 beef samples were used to evaluate the pH value. The majority of animals (55.9%) were transported via trekking, with 70% not receiving feed or water during transportation. Approximately 47% of beef was classified as Dark, Firm, and Dry (DFD) and was spoiled with microbial growth. The pH value of the meat was significantly affected by the distance traveled during transportation and the mode of transportation (P = 0.001). The mean log of the bacterial count of the sampled meat was 5.84-CFU log/100cm2, with the mean microbial load being statistically different (P < 0.05). Our findings suggest that animal welfare and beef quality were compromised due to stressful transportation, pre- and post-slaughter procedures, lack of facilities in marketing areas, and a poor abattoir system. Therefore, it is vitally necessary to issue relevant declarations, and legislation, and provide training on animal welfare awareness to various stakeholders.
format Article
id doaj-art-26d8226d85a74d598c0c9cf737f86e7e
institution Kabale University
issn 2331-1932
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Taylor & Francis Group
record_format Article
series Cogent Food & Agriculture
spelling doaj-art-26d8226d85a74d598c0c9cf737f86e7e2024-12-13T09:52:53ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCogent Food & Agriculture2331-19322024-12-0110110.1080/23311932.2024.2303822Assessment of the impact of pre-slaughter handling and transportation on animal welfare and beef quality in Dendi and Welmara districts, EthiopiaAmanuel Bekuma0Tekalign Tadesse1Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture, Mattu University, Mattu, EthiopiaDepartment of Veterinary Science, College of Agriculture, Mattu University, Mattu, EthiopiaDuring transport from farms to abattoirs, animals may be subjected to un-favorable conditions leading to a compromise of animal welfare and reduced meat quality. The impact of pre-slaughter handling and transportation on animal welfare and beef quality was investigated in relation to Dendi and Welmara districts markets and abattoirs. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to gather detailed information on the pre-, during-, and post-slaughter processes from 200 respondents. 70 meat swab samples were collected from desirable animal parts to determine the microbial load, and 100 beef samples were used to evaluate the pH value. The majority of animals (55.9%) were transported via trekking, with 70% not receiving feed or water during transportation. Approximately 47% of beef was classified as Dark, Firm, and Dry (DFD) and was spoiled with microbial growth. The pH value of the meat was significantly affected by the distance traveled during transportation and the mode of transportation (P = 0.001). The mean log of the bacterial count of the sampled meat was 5.84-CFU log/100cm2, with the mean microbial load being statistically different (P < 0.05). Our findings suggest that animal welfare and beef quality were compromised due to stressful transportation, pre- and post-slaughter procedures, lack of facilities in marketing areas, and a poor abattoir system. Therefore, it is vitally necessary to issue relevant declarations, and legislation, and provide training on animal welfare awareness to various stakeholders.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311932.2024.2303822Animal handlingmeat qualitypoor welfarepre-slaughtertransportationPedro González-Redondo, University of Seville, Spain
spellingShingle Amanuel Bekuma
Tekalign Tadesse
Assessment of the impact of pre-slaughter handling and transportation on animal welfare and beef quality in Dendi and Welmara districts, Ethiopia
Cogent Food & Agriculture
Animal handling
meat quality
poor welfare
pre-slaughter
transportation
Pedro González-Redondo, University of Seville, Spain
title Assessment of the impact of pre-slaughter handling and transportation on animal welfare and beef quality in Dendi and Welmara districts, Ethiopia
title_full Assessment of the impact of pre-slaughter handling and transportation on animal welfare and beef quality in Dendi and Welmara districts, Ethiopia
title_fullStr Assessment of the impact of pre-slaughter handling and transportation on animal welfare and beef quality in Dendi and Welmara districts, Ethiopia
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of the impact of pre-slaughter handling and transportation on animal welfare and beef quality in Dendi and Welmara districts, Ethiopia
title_short Assessment of the impact of pre-slaughter handling and transportation on animal welfare and beef quality in Dendi and Welmara districts, Ethiopia
title_sort assessment of the impact of pre slaughter handling and transportation on animal welfare and beef quality in dendi and welmara districts ethiopia
topic Animal handling
meat quality
poor welfare
pre-slaughter
transportation
Pedro González-Redondo, University of Seville, Spain
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/23311932.2024.2303822
work_keys_str_mv AT amanuelbekuma assessmentoftheimpactofpreslaughterhandlingandtransportationonanimalwelfareandbeefqualityindendiandwelmaradistrictsethiopia
AT tekaligntadesse assessmentoftheimpactofpreslaughterhandlingandtransportationonanimalwelfareandbeefqualityindendiandwelmaradistrictsethiopia