ASSESSMENT OF ANIMAL WELFARE USING BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS DURING CATTLE SLAUGHTER

Colombian laws establish the guidelines for slaughtering of cattle which have to f guarantee a humane procedure, besides complying with some quality parameters for the final product. The objective of this study was to evaluate efficiency of the stunning process in two slaughterhouses as an indicator of animal welfare. Stunning was evaluated in 1343 bovines. Signs of loss of consciousness (corneal reflex, attempts to head up, vocalizations and rhythmic breathing) as well as behavioral indicators of Animal Welfare (AW) loss (slipping, falling, vocalizations, jumping and backward movements) were assessed to identify animal welfare standards. Besides, the stunning delay, the number of shots per animal, the appropriate location of the shots and the interval between shot and bleeding were measured. Although, 98.5% of animals collapsed immediately after receiving the first shot, 23.6% (n=307) recovered sensitivity before bleeding, because of the wide interval between stunning and bleeding which was higher than 60 seconds (98.7%). There was a significant association between stunning delay and the number of behavioral events counted (p<0.01). Moreover, differences in the behavioral indicators among the slaughterhouses evaluated were found (p<0.01) showing greater incidence in slaughter house “A” which had a head fixation system, but not one to hold still the entire body of the animal. Aversive behavioral responses were encountered in plant “B”, such as the use of cattle prods to hold and push the animal while it was in the stunning box. The results indicate that in the slaughterhouses evaluated animal welfare during slaughtering is defficient and it is necessary to implement personnel training, improvement of infrastructure and evaluation indicators.