A tool for the evaluation of slaughter horse welfare during unloading

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a scientific and practical tool to be used to assess horse welfare after commercial transport over long journeys. A set of physical, behavioural and environmental measures was selected, covering welfare aspects of both transport and unloading procedures. The protocol was field-tested on 51 intra-EU commercial transports arriving at different sites in Italy. Univariate analysis was implemented to look for associations between the input variables (environmental hazards potentially affecting the animal well-being during long transports) and the outcome variables (direct evaluation of the animal condition). No severe welfare impairments were recorded (ie dead on arrival, severe injuries, non-ambulatory animals), while milder ones were more frequent at unloading (eg slipping; 36.7%, reluctance to move; 9.6%). Correlations emerged between ramp slope and falling; type of ramp floor and slipping; fast gait and the presence of gaps between the ramp and the floor. The horses’ behaviour was also related to the type of handling procedure used. The measures were repeatable and practical to apply and score during real-time unloading. This work provides a sound basis for a new and practical welfare assessment tool for horses travelling over long journeys. Careful and constant application of this protocol would provide stakeholders with the opportunity to track and monitor changes in the industry over time, as well as to identify high risk areas in transport routines.

Journeys, Journey Conditions, and Welfare Assessment of Unbroken (Unhandled) Horses on Arrival at a Slaughterhouse in Italy

“…The number of animals to be assessed was estimated assuming an expected proportion of welfare issues of 14%, with 5% absolute precision and 99.5% confidence interval (CI). The expected proportion of welfare issues was obtained by averaging the proportions of severe injuries and animals with poor welfare found by Marlin et al [ 1 , 9 , 11 ] (i.e., 23%, 18.6%, and 0.1%, respectively). The minimum sample size required was 365 horses.…”

“…The evidence of the effects of transportation to slaughter is scant [ 8 ]. While dead animals on arrival (DOA) or in the lairage were never recorded, the prevalence of severe welfare issues varied from study to study [ 1 , 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Marlin et al [ 1 ] found that 23% out of 1519 horses unloaded in Italy after long journeys (arriving from Poland and Romania) had at least one acute injury and 10% were severely lame.…”

“…Marlin et al [ 1 ] found that 23% out of 1519 horses unloaded in Italy after long journeys (arriving from Poland and Romania) had at least one acute injury and 10% were severely lame. Messori et al [ 9 ] reported that only 0.1% of the considered 926 horses unloaded in Italy (arriving from Poland) showed severe lameness, but no horses were unable to move or were severely injured. Roy et al [ 12 ] reported that out of 3940 horses transported to Canadian slaughterhouses, only 1% of them were lame, and unable to walk in 0.16% of cases.…”

“…For horses, it allows journeys over long distances (more than 8 h) to be only undertaken by broken (handled) horses, while for unbroken (unhandled) horses the maximum journey duration is set at 8 h. Unbroken horses shall also travel loose and in small groups of familiar horses ( n ≤ 4 horses). These requirements are based on the evidence that unbroken horses struggle to cope with new situations and being tied or isolated [ 9 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Despite these different requirements for the journey conditions, in the current regulation, it is not clear how to differentiate between broken and unbroken horses.…”

Positive Reinforcement-Based Training for Self-Loading of Meat Horses Reduces Loading Time and Stress-Related Behavior

“…While there is a body of literature reporting about the effect of training to load in sport horses [i.e., (4, 11, 14, 16)], nothing has been published on meat horses completely naïve to transport. This study population deserves great attention because horses kept for meat production are generally transported to the slaughterhouse without any training [see (20–22) for a review], with adverse effects on their welfare (7, 23, 24). It was consequently hypothesized that self-loading training would reduce the time to load, stress-related behavior, and behavioral problems during loading in meat horses.…”