Equine slaughter transport--update on research and regulations.
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Abattoirs↗
Biomedical subjects
T Grandin
Publications and source records attributed to T Grandin.
Prevalence of severe welfare problems in horses that arrive at slaughter plants.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of severe welfare problems in horses that arrive at slaughter plants and to identify horses that were unfit for travel. DESIGN: Prevalence survey. ANIMALS: 1,008 horses. PROCEDURE: Horses arriving at 2 slaughter plants were observed. The following were rated severe welfare problems in horses: body condition scores of 1 or 2 (emaciated) of 9; recumbency (down) or the inability to walk; fractured limbs or other foot or limb problems that extremely impaired mobility; severe wounds, such as deep cuts, extensive lacerations, abrasions on the head or back, eye injuries, neglected purulent lesions, and numerous bite and kick marks over extensive areas of the body; and dead on arrival. Bruises on carcasses were tabulated to further assess injuries. Horses that had been loaded with a fractured limb, arrived nonambulatory, had severe lameness that interfered with mobility, were weak and emaciated, or were dead on arrival or died shortly after arrival were considered unfit for travel. RESULTS: Ninety-two percent (930/1,008) of the horses arrived in good condition, and 7.7% (78) had a condition that was rated a serious welfare problem. Thirty horses (3%) had a body condition score of 1 or 2, 12 (1.0%) had foot and limb problems (other than fractures), 4 (0.4%) had fractured limbs, 18 (2.0%) had deep cuts, lacerations, or injuries from bites, 8 (0.8%) were nonambulatory or dead on arrival, 2 (0.2%) had deformities, 3 (0.3%) had extensive purulent lesions, and 1 (0.1%) had a behavior problem. Characteristic patterns of 51% of carcass bruises indicated that they were caused by bites or kicks. Fighting was the major cause of injuries that occurred during transport and marketing. Fifteen (1.5%) horses were unfit for travel. Abuse or neglect by owners was the cause of 77% of the severe welfare problems observed. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: To decrease the number of injuries that result from fighting when transporting horses to slaughter plants, aggressive mares and geldings that continually attack other horses must be segregated.
Abattoirs↗
Objective scoring of animal handling and stunning practices at slaughter plants.
OBJECTIVE: To develop objective methods for monitoring animal welfare at slaughter plants to ensure compliance with the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. DESIGN: Survey of existing procedures. SAMPLE POPULATION: 24 federally inspected slaughter plants. PROCEDURE: 6 variables evaluated at each plant were stunning efficacy, insensibility of animals hanging on the bleeding rail, vocalization, electric prod use, number of animals slipping, and number of animals falling. RESULTS: Of 11 beef plants, only 4 were able to render 95% of cattle insensible with a single shot from a captive-bolt stunner. Personnel at 7 of 11 plants placed the stunning wand correctly on 99% or more of pigs and sheep. At 4 beef plants, percentage of cattle prodded with an electric prod ranged from 5% at a plant at which handlers only prodded cattle that refused to move to 90% at another plant. Use of electric prods at 6 pork plants scored for prod use ranged from 15 to almost 100% of pigs. Percentage of cattle that vocalized during stunning and handling ranged from 1.1% at a plant at which electric prods were only used on cattle that refused to move to 32% at another plant at which electric prods were used on 90% of cattle and a restraint device was inappropriately used to apply excessive pressure. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: To obtain the most accurate assessment of animal welfare at slaughter plants, it is important to score all of the aforementioned variables.
Abattoirs↗
Handling methods and facilities to reduce stress on cattle.
A combination of well trained handlers and properly designed facilities will reduce stress on cattle and improve both handling efficiency and productivity of cattle. Solid sides on both the single file chute and the squeeze chute will facilitate cattle movement and reduce lunging at the headgate. To reduce balking, distractions which impede cattle movement must be eliminated from handling facilities. Some of the most common distractions which make cattle balk in a chute are: a jiggling chain hanging in a chute, shiny reflections on metal, puddles, shadows, seeing a visible person and a high pitched noise. Cattle should be moved into the handling facility in small groups and the crowd pen should be filled only half to three-quarters full.
Animal Husbandry↗
Factors contributing to the incidence of dark cutting beef.
The 1995 National Beef Quality Audit reported that dark cutting beef (dark cutters) cost $6.08 per animal harvested in the United States. Feedlot data were obtained over a 3-yr period from nine commercial feedyards (15,439 pens of cattle; 2,672,223 total cattle). Feedyard, sex, implant treatment, days from final implant to harvest, maximum and minimum daily temperatures, and temperature fluctuations from 2 d before harvest to the day of harvest all contributed (P < .05) to the incidence of dark cutters. Heifers yielded a higher (P < .05) percentage of dark cutters per pen and, when reimplanted a second time with an estrogenic implant, produced greater (P < .05) mean percentages of dark cutters per pen than heifers reimplanted with either androgens or combination (androgen and estrogen) growth promotants. Furthermore, heifers produced higher (P < .05) mean percentages of dark cutters per pen than steers during periods of hot (> 35 degrees C) weather 2 to 1 d before harvest. Steers, when treated with a combination (androgen and estrogen) implant when entering the feedyard and as a reimplant, produced higher (P < .05) mean percentages of dark cutters per pen when compared to other moderate growth-promoting implant strategies. When producers opted to implant steers with estrogenic growth promotants, either as the cattle entered the feedlot or as a final reimplant before harvest, the occurrence of dark cutters was reduced from 9.2 per thousand cattle shipped to 2.0 and .5 per thousand cattle shipped, respectively. Producers that reimplanted heifers before harvest with products that were not primarily estrogenic reduced the occurrence of dark cutters from 10.4/1,000 cattle shipped to 5.2/1,000 cattle shipped when androgen-based growth promotants were used and to 3.5/1,000 cattle shipped when combination (androgen and estrogen) implants were administered. In addition to implant selection, those producers that held cattle on-feed over 100 d past reimplantation reduced the incidence of dark cutters per pen by an average of 38% among heifers and 69% among steers. By reducing the occurrence of dark cutters, there is an opportunity for beef producers to realize large economic savings.
Androgens↗
Assessment of stress during handling and transport.
Fear is a very strong stressor, and the highly variable results of handling and transportation studies are likely to be due to different levels of psychological stress. Psychological stress is fear stress. Some examples are restraint, contact with people, or exposure to novelty. In many different animals, stimulation of the amygdala with an implanted electrode triggers a complex pattern of behavior and autonomic responses that resemble fear in humans. Both previous experience and genetic factors affecting temperament will interact in complex ways to determine how fearful an animal may become when it is handled or transported. Cattle trained and habituated to a squeeze chute may have baseline cortisol levels and be behaviorally calm, whereas extensively reared animals may have elevated cortisol levels in the same squeeze chute. The squeeze chute is perceived as neutral and non-threatening to one animal; to another animal, the novelty of it may trigger intense fear. Novelty is a strong stressor when an animal is suddenly confronted with it. To accurately assess an animal's reaction, a combination of behavioral and physiological measurements will provide the best overall measurement of animal discomfort.
Amygdala↗
Feedlot cattle with calm temperaments have higher average daily gains than cattle with excitable temperaments.
This study was conducted to assess the effect of temperament on the average daily gains of feedlot cattle. Cattle (292 steers and 144 heifers) were transported to Colorado feedlot facilities. Breeds studied included Braford (n = 177), Simmental x Red Angus (n = 92), Red Brangus (n = 70), Simbrah (n = 65), Angus (n = 18), and Tarentaise x Angus (n = 14). Cattle were temperament rated on a numerical scale (chute score) during routine weighing and processing. Data were separated into two groups based on breed, Brahman cross (> or = 25% Brahman) and nonBrahman breeding. Animals that had Brahman breeding had a higher mean temperament rating (3.45 +/- .09) or were more excitable than animals that had no Brahman influence (1.80 +/- .10); (P < .001). These data also show that heifers have a higher mean temperament rating than steers (P < .05). Temperament scores evaluated for each breed group also showed that increased temperament score resulted in decreased average daily gains (P < .05). These data show that cattle that were quieter and calmer during handling had greater average daily gains than cattle that became agitated during routine handling.
Animals↗
Factors that impede animal movement at slaughter plants.
Factors that impede animal movement in slaughter plants and that are likely to cause excitement, stress, or bruises are major mistakes in the design of chutes and stockyard pens; lack of training or poor supervision of employees; distractions that impede animal movement, such as sparkling reflections on a wet floor, air hissing, high-pitched noise, or air drafts blowing down the chute toward approaching animals; poor maintenance of facilities, such as worn out or slick floors that cause animals to fall; and animals from genetic lines that have an excitable temperament. Veterinarians need to be aware of these factors because such factors can cause animals to balk and become excited, which may result in excessive prodding. When a handling system is being evaluated, one must be careful to discriminate between a major design mistake and small distractions that can be easily corrected, but that can ruin the performance of the best systems. A survey of 29 Canadian slaughter plants revealed that 21% (6 plants) had slick floors that would cause animals to slip and fall, and 27% (8 plants) had high-pitched motor noise or hissing air that caused animals to balk. Air drafts blowing down the chutes, which will often impede animal movement, were a problem in 10% (3) of the plants. Simple modifications of lighting and elimination of air drafts and hissing will often greatly improve animal movement.
Abattoirs↗
Brief report: response to National Institutes of Health report.
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Adolescent↗
Euthanasia and slaughter of livestock.
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Abattoirs↗
Farm animal welfare during handling, transport, and slaughter.
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Abattoirs↗
Teaching principles of behavior and equipment design for handling livestock.
A course is described in which students are taught principles of livestock behavior and how an understanding of behavior can facilitate handling. Some of the principles that are covered in the course are livestock senses, flight zone, herd behavior during handling, and methods to reduce stress during handling. To teach problem solving and original thinking, the students design three different types of handling facilities. Design of restraint equipment and humane slaughter procedures are also covered. Both existing systems and ideas for future systems are discussed. Students are provided with information from both scientific studies and practical experience.
Abattoirs↗
Defense behavior and coping in an autistic savant: the story of Temple Grandin, PhD.
The causal factors in the behaviorally defined syndrome of autism remain unclear, although the past decade has brought to bear two significant developments that shape our view of the disorder. The first of these developments is a growing body of biomedical research that indicates there are multiple etiologies associated with the disorder. This research has allowed for the formation of subgroups based upon neuroanatomical, neurobiological, and neurophysiological abnormalities (Damasio 1984; Piggot 1979; Ritvo et al. 1990). The second is neuropsychological research indicating that the socioemotional deficits are primary to the disorder and may underlie much of the behavioral symptomatology (Fein et al. 1986). These areas of concern undoubtedly have enhanced our understanding of the disorder, yet in their achievements they may too easily absorb what we know about autistics who experience a chronic state of physiological hyperarousal, evidence of which has been found in neurophysiological studies (Delius 1967; Hutt et al. 1965), neurochemical studies (Lake et al. 1977), psychopharmacologic studies (Ratey et al. 1987a), and behavioral studies (Kinsbourne 1980; Kootz et al. 1982; Tinbergen and Tinbergen 1972; Zentall and Zentall 1983). These individuals, perhaps constituting a subgroup of their own, experience an inner state of disorganization that markedly impairs their functioning (Sands and Ratey 1986).
Adaptation, Psychological↗
Effect of naltrexone on relaxation induced by flank pressure in pigs.
Twenty, 6 to 9 kg Yorkshire piglets were used in 2 trials. Ten piglets received an IM injection of naltrexone at a dose of 1 to 1.3 mg/kg. Ten control pigs received saline. Blind behavioral testing in a "squeeze chute" was conducted 40 minutes after injection. The "squeeze chute" consists of two padded plywood panels hinged on a base to form a V. Each pig was squeezed for 60 seconds. After release, each pig remained in the padded V for 10 minutes. There was sufficient room for the pigs to walk a few steps. Both naltrexone- and saline-treated pigs eventually crouched down in the chute and relaxed against the padded sides of the V. Naltrexone-pretreated pigs had a longer latency to achieve relaxation--311.8 +/- 47.8 seconds vs. 161.8 +/- 30.38 seconds (SE) (p less than 0.02). Each stage of relaxation at induction was rated on a 1-4 scale (1 = squealing and jumping, 4 = relaxed quietly). Naltrexone-treated pigs had significantly lower relaxation ratings than saline-treated pigs (1.90 vs. 3.20) (p less than 0.01). Treatment had no effect on the final degree of relaxation. Naltrexone partially blocked the relaxation response.
Animals↗
Perfusion method for preparing pig brain cortex for Golgi-Cox impregnation.
The perfusion procedure described in this paper produces high quality impregnation of pig visual and somatosensory cortical neurons with a Golgi-Cox solution. Starting within 30 min after death, pig heads were perfused with a fixative solution composed of a mixture (v/v) of liquid phenol, 5%; formalin, 14%; ethylene glycol, 25%; methanol, 28%; and water, 28% for two periods of 4 hr each. After perfusion, the heads were chilled for at least 18 hr. The entire brain was removed from the skull and then placed in 10% buffered formalin, where it remained for at least 10 days before taking the blocks that were to be immersed in the Golgi-Cox solution. Three weeks spent in the Golgi-Cox solution typically produced uniform neuron impregnation. The tissue blocks were then embedded in celloidin and sectioned at 120 micron. This procedure avoids the following difficulties: Golgi-Cox methods that produced excellent results with rodent or primate tissue were unsuccessful with pig tissue, placing fresh tissue in Golgi-Cox solution resulted in incomplete neuron impregnation, and immersion fixation in 10% buffered formalin without perfusion resulted in excessive staining of glia.
Animals↗
Animal handling.
Handlers with an understanding of animal behavior can handle livestock more efficiently and safely than handlers that lack an appreciation for the behavior of animals and their welfare. For example, four good handlers in a well-designed circular cattle-handling facility with a hydraulic squeeze could place an ear implant every 15 seconds or brand, vaccinate (up to four injections), place an ear implant, and castrate one animal every 45 seconds. Handlers that yelled at and prodded cattle excessively usually required more time to process each animal, due to wasted time when excited cattle escaped or became jammed in the squeeze. Veterinarians should teach clients the principles of animal behavior that relate to animal handling. Quiet, efficient handling will reduce stress and injuries to both people and livestock.
Animal Husbandry↗
Electro-immobilization versus mechanical restraint in an avoid-avoid choice test for ewes.
A Y-maze avoid-avoid choice test was used to elucidate pregnant ewes' relative preference for electro-immobilization as opposed to restraint by a squeeze-tilt table. Choices in successive trials evaluating three commercial electro-immobilizers were: electro-immobilizer-13, 13 and 8% for respective models; squeeze-tilt table-79, 57 and 71%; and no choice-8, 30 and 21%. In all trials combined, 56% of the ewes never chose the electro-immobilizer after once experiencing it, while 94% did choose the squeeze-tilt table one or more times after being restrained by it. Most ewes became more willing to enter the table as experience with it increased, but those that had been both electro-immobilized and table-restrained became more hesitant to pass the test facility's entrance gate as these experiences increased. Ewes accepted a feed reward only reluctantly if at all after being electro-immobilized, but readily after table restraint. Electro-immobilization was clearly more aversive to the ewes than was restraint by a squeeze/tilt table. When restraint by either electro-immobilization or squeeze/tilt table is necessary, use of the table would be indicated in terms of its being less aversive.
Animals↗