Animal Stress and Welfare During Transport and Slaughtering: Second Edition

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Welfare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 1515

Special Issue Editor

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Guest Editor
Livestock Research, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Interests: stress physiology; pain assessment; electronic identification; transport; handling; stunning; euthanasia; welfare
* Retired
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is much discussion about the transportation of farm animals. The main issues are welfare, meat quality, legislation, consumer concerns, and economic aspects. The main hazards identified for transported animals are common for all species. Hazards characterized as serious are inadequate ventilation, insufficient space allowance, transport duration, the lack of appropriate food and water during transport, incorrect handling during (un)loading, poor fitness prior to transport, the introduction of pathogens before and during transport, and the inappropriate application of resting periods during transport. Loading at the farm and unloading at the slaughterhouse have been considered the most stressful preslaughter events.

After arrival, animals need to be placed in a lairage before slaughter. Stress is related to interaction with humans, handling through ramps, steps, and tight spaces, unfamiliar noises and smells, vibrations, ambient temperatures, mixing with unfamiliar animals, and low space allowance.

It is necessary that slaughter animals need to be well restrained for optimal stunning. In a restrainer, animals are stunned by mechanical, electrical, or gas methods. The use of a no-stunning method as an exception is possible for ritual slaughter in some countries. The stun–stick interval and maintenance are relevant for all stunning methods. After stunning, the unconsciousness of the animals needs to be checked.

Dr. Elbert Lambooij
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • slaughter animals
  • welfare
  • meat quality
  • legislation
  • consumers concern
  • movement
  • handling
  • economic aspects

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 269 KiB  
Article
Effects of Stocking Density in the Pen and Lairage Time on Blood Stress Indicators, Skin Lesion Scores, and Pork Meat Quality
by Luana Torres da Rocha, Paulo Levi de Oliveira Carvalho, Janaína Paolucci Sales de Lima, Liliana Bury de Azevedo, Silvana Texeira Carvalho, Jansller Luiz Genova and Luigi Faucitano
Animals 2025, 15(5), 634; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15050634 - 21 Feb 2025
Viewed by 566
Abstract
The objective of this study was to assess the effects of stocking density in the pen and lairage time before slaughter on blood stress indicators, skin lesions, and pork meat quality traits. A total of 1920 immunocastrated male pigs were shipped to a [...] Read more.
The objective of this study was to assess the effects of stocking density in the pen and lairage time before slaughter on blood stress indicators, skin lesions, and pork meat quality traits. A total of 1920 immunocastrated male pigs were shipped to a slaughterhouse. In order to maintain the proposed stocking densities, 72 pigs out of the 1920 animals were removed across loads from the experiment. The remaining 1848 pigs were randomly assigned to two different stocking densities in the lairage pen (0.42 m2/100 kg and 0.66 m2/100 kg) and two lairage times (2 h and 6 h). A total of 360 pigs were selected for the analysis of exsanguination blood glucose, creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, cortisol concentration, hematocrit percentage, and carcass skin lesion scores, whereas meat quality was assessed in 240 loin muscles. Except for blood hematocrit percentage, the interaction stocking density × lairage pen had no effect on any parameter (p > 0.10). When compared to a lower stocking density (0.66 m2/100 kg), pigs kept at a higher stocking density (0.42 m2/100 kg) tended to present lower blood LDH concentrations (p = 0.06) and higher blood cortisol concentrations (p = 0.08) at slaughter and had greater carcass skin lesion scores (p < 0.001) and drier (lower drip loss) loin muscles (p = 0.04). Increased blood hematocrit percentage was found in pigs kept in lairage at a higher stocking density for 6 h when compared with the other lairage conditions (p < 0.01). Overall, stocking density, in particular when it was high, influenced more pigs’ stress conditions at slaughter and carcass and meat quality than the time spent in lairage. Full article
28 pages, 1814 KiB  
Article
Relevant Indicators of Consciousness After Head-Only Electrical Stunning in Rabbits, Stunning Efficiency, and Risk Factors in Commercial Conditions
by Alexandra Contreras-Jodar, Virginie Michel, Leonardo James Vinco, Aranzazu Varvaró-Porter and Antonio Velarde
Animals 2025, 15(4), 587; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15040587 - 18 Feb 2025
Viewed by 549
Abstract
Currently, approximately 62 million rabbits are slaughtered annually in approved slaughterhouses across the European Union (EU) [...] Full article
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