Repeatability of lameness, fear and slipping scores to assess animal welfare upon arrival in pig slaughterhouses
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Author
Geverink, N. A.
Van Nuffel, A.
van Steenbergen, L.
Van Reenen, K.
Hautekiet, V.
Vermeulen, K.
Tuyttens, F. A. M.
Publication date
2010-02-02ISSN
1751-7311
Abstract
The EU project Welfare Quality R proposes an overall assessment system for animal welfare based on animal outcomes. The
objective of this study was to test inter-observer reliability (IOR) when assessing lameness, fear and slipping and falling scores
as parameters for monitoring the welfare of killing pigs during arrival at the slaughterhouse. Two Belgian and two Spanish
slaughterhouses were visited by six to seven observers. Lameness, slipping and falling were assessed twice; during unloading
and in the passageway to the lairage zone (lairage). Fear, which was assessed in the unloading area, was based on four
indicators: reluctance to move, retreat attempts, turning back and vocalisations. Lameness had low-to-moderate IOR when
observed in the passageway to lairage (r 5 0.46), but the IOR was low during unloading (r 5 0.25). IOR for slipping and falling
was moderate to high (r 5 0.71 and r 5 0.50, respectively), when assessed in the unloading area, but low for observations in
the passageway (r 5 0.13). Fear indicators had only moderate or low IOR. Turning back was the measure with the highest IOR
(r 5 0.43) and retreat attempts had the lowest IOR (r 5 0.25). Based on these results, we concluded that scoring lameness
could be reliable when assessed from the unloading bay to lairage, whereas slipping and falling should be scored in the
unloading area of the slaughterhouse. We suggest scoring a maximum of two measures of fear on the same animals at the
unloading area, with the most reliable parameters being turning back and reluctance to move. The three indicators of animal
welfare (lameness, fear and slipping and falling) should be measured in a way to reduce overtax of the observers in order to
achieve accurate results
Document Type
Article
Document version
Published version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
636 - Animal husbandry and breeding in general. Livestock rearing. Breeding of domestic animals
Pages
6
Publisher
Elsevier
Is part of
Animal
Citation
Dalmau, A., N.A. Geverink, A. Van Nuffel, L. Van Steenbergen, C.G. Van Reenen, V. Hautekiet, K. Vermeulen, A. Velarde, and F.A.M. Tuyttens. 2010. “Repeatability of Lameness, Fear and Slipping Scores to Assess Animal Welfare Upon Arrival in Pig Slaughterhouses.” Animal 4 (5): 804–809. doi: 10.1017/s17517311100000
Grant agreement number
EC/FP6/506508/EU/Integration of animal welfare in the food quality chain: from public concern to improved welfare and transparent quality/WELFARE QUALITY
Program
Benestar Animal
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- ARTICLES CIENTÍFICS [2685]
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