Investigating the impact of pre-slaughter management factors on indicators of fed beef cattle welfare – a scoping review

Abstract

IntroductionThe impact of pre-slaughter management practices on fed beef cattle welfare is a multifaceted and well researched subject matter. Factors such as transportation, handling, lairage time and several animal characteristics can directly impact the cattle’s behavior, mobility, blood lactate and cortisol levels, likelihood of injury and ultimately overall cattle welfare. Animal welfare continues to grow as a critical component of slaughter in the fed beef industry, yet a formal review of related research does not exist.MethodsA scoping review was performed in order to (1) catalog pre-slaughter management factors that impact fed beef cattle welfare at the time of slaughter, (2) identify indicators used to evaluate the impact of pre-slaughter management on fed beef cattle welfare at slaughter, and (3) gain further understanding of the relationship between pre-slaughter management factors and fed beef cattle welfare outcome indicators at slaughter. Three data bases were ultimately searched: PubMed, CAB Abstracts, and Web of Science. The concepts used in the database searches were the population of interest (i.e., fed beef cattle), the location in the supply chain, preslaughter management factors, and welfare outcomes.ResultsA total of 69 studies were included in final analysis for this review, including studies from six geographic regions around the globe. Studies involving alternative slaughter methods (e.g., religious stunning or mobile slaughter) were not included in the formal analysis of this review, but still merited an in-depth discussion within this paper. After reviewing the studies, a total of 37 pre-slaughter factors and 69 indicators of welfare were measured throughout. Pre-slaughter management factors were then categorized by: animal characteristics; environmental characteristics; handling; lairage; transportation; and water/feed. Outcomeindicators of welfare were categorized into: behaviors; health, injury and disease; physiological; and stunning and insensibility.DiscussionPre-slaughter factors relating to transportation and handling, and welfare outcomes measured by behaviors and physiology were of the most researched throughout the studies.The results of this review offer a catalogue of commonly researched factors and indicators of welfare measured during the pre-slaughter phase, as well ast he relationships between them. This review also offers further substantial evidence that a multitude of events in the pre-slaughter phase affect fed beef cattle welfare and a collection of highly applicable welfare indicators to expedite further research on the effects of pre-slaughter factors and the application of improved practices.

Preslaughter factors affecting mobility, blood parameters, bruising, and muscle pH of finished beef cattle in the United States

“…A limited number of studies have assessed the effects of pen density on welfare ( Davis et al., 2022a ) or meat quality outcomes in beef cattle ( Sullivan et al., 2022 ). Also, to the authors’ knowledge, studies have yet to be conducted on the impact of lairage density on beef cattle mobility.…”

“…While some preslaughter factors like transportation ( Tarrant, 1990 ; Knowles, 1999 ; Schwartzkopf-Genswein et al., 2012 ), animal handling ( Warriss, 1990 ; Grandin, 2014 ; Gallo et al., 2022 ), and lairage practices ( Gallo et al., 2003 ; Liotta et al., 2007 ; Teke et al., 2014 ) are well-researched and their relationships to animal welfare well understood, other factors such as truck waiting times to unload at the plant, lairage pen density, and the use and efficacy of heat mitigation techniques in lairage are underrepresented in the current body of work ( Davis et al., 2022a ; Sullivan et al., 2022 ). It is also challenging to draw conclusions from studies conducted in varying parts of the world and with diverse cattle populations, as the final marketing phase varies considerably across the globe, for example, in transport type and conditions, lairage duration, and slaughter practices.…”

Benchmarking current preslaughter management factors, welfare indicators, and meat quality outcomes at commercial fed cattle processing facilities in the United States

“…The stress induced by these challenges can impact both cattle welfare and meat quality. There are many indicators that can be used to assess cattle welfare during the preslaughter period ( Davis et al., 2022b ). Cattle mobility has garnered increased focus as an important and relevant welfare metric for fed cattle arriving at slaughter facilities ( Losada-Espinosa et al., 2018 ; Edwards-Callaway and Calvo-Lorenzo, 2020 ; Mijares et al., 2021 ), yet mobility as a welfare indicator was not as prevalent in the research included in the Davis et al.…”

“…While great progress has been made in the U. S. cattle industry to ensure that stress is minimized and positive animal welfare states are promoted during this terminal point in cattle production cycle ( NAMI, 2021 ; NCBA, 2022 ), it is important to continually measure how preslaughter management factors impact cattle welfare and meat quality. A growing body of research on preslaughter stress not only in the United States, but globally, articulates the strong relationship between preslaughter management factors and animal welfare and meat quality outcomes ( Adzitey, 2011 ; Edwards-Callaway and Calvo-Lorenzo, 2020 ; Davis et al., 2022b ; Sullivan et al., 2022 ). Factors related to transportation, animal handling, and lairage are consistently among the most commonly researched predictors for welfare outcomes of beef cattle at slaughter ( Miranda-de la Lama et al., 2014 ; Davis et al., 2022b ).…”

“…A growing body of research on preslaughter stress not only in the United States, but globally, articulates the strong relationship between preslaughter management factors and animal welfare and meat quality outcomes ( Adzitey, 2011 ; Edwards-Callaway and Calvo-Lorenzo, 2020 ; Davis et al., 2022b ; Sullivan et al., 2022 ). Factors related to transportation, animal handling, and lairage are consistently among the most commonly researched predictors for welfare outcomes of beef cattle at slaughter ( Miranda-de la Lama et al., 2014 ; Davis et al., 2022b ). However, waiting time at the plant to unload cattle, lairage duration, and density as influencing factors are underrepresented in current literature despite their relevance to the preslaughter period ( Davis et al., 2022b ; Sullivan et al., 2022 ).…”