Browsing by Subject "Semi-mobile slaughter"

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    Das Potenzial der teilmobilen Schlachtung von Rindern im Herkunftsbetrieb : Stressbelastung und Fleischqualität
    (2022) Zeidler, Johannes
    The industrialization of animal husbandry and the focus on large production volumes have led to the killing of farm animals taking place almost exclusively in what are now a few large slaughterhouses. Of the approximately 3.4 Mio cattle slaughtered in Germany in 2019, nearly 78% are slaughtered in Germanys 10 largest slaughterhouses. Local butchers and small slaughterhouses often cannot comply with the strict legal hygiene regulations. The animals must therefore be transported alive, where loading, the journey, the foreign environment, the separation from the herd and the meeting with unfamiliar animals and humans, are known to cause stress and as well have negative impacts on meat quality. Since the revision of the EU regulation 853/2004 in 2021, slaughter at the farm of origin is now considered an official slaughter method. Although research focussing on slaughtering cattle on the farm of origin using captive bold stunning is missing, meat of cattle slaughtered via gunshot on pasture tends to be more tender and stress levels can be reduced in comparison to cattle slaughtered in the slaughterhouse. This leads to the assumption that also slaughtering cattle on the farm of origin, using captive bolt stunning, should result in higher meat quality and reduce stress prior to slaughter. For this purpose, this study examined 27 cattle from seven different farms slaughtered either on farm of origin using captive bolt stunning, via gunshot or in commercial slaughterhouses. Meat quality parameters and stress indicators were assessed to evaluate these three slaughter methods from a meat quality and an animal welfare perspective Based on the cortisol levels in the blood of exsanguination, no significant differences in the stress levels of the different slaughter methods could be determined. Nevertheless, tendencies towards less stressed animals with slaughtered via gunshot and slaughtered on the farm of origin using captive bolt stunning compared to the slaughterhouse could be revealed. As large variances of cortisol concentrations were measured within cattle slaughtered on farm of origin, stress level seems to depend on the individual slaughtering and preparing procedure. Further research is needed to improve and give recommendations for practical implementation of this method taking different farm structures into account. Quality parameters were not unambiguous. A significant effect of the slaughter method could only be found on ultimate pH-value and redness (a* L*a*b* System). Contrary to our expectations, ultimate pH-value was significantly lower in meat of cattle slaughtered on farm of origin using captive bolt stunning than in meat of cattle slaughtered via gunshot. Moreover, cattle slaughtered on farm of origin using captive bold, had significantly redder meat than cattle slaughtered via gunshot This contradicts the assumption that more stress leads to less red meat. However, it is consistent with the lower pH values of meat from cattle slaughtered with bolt stunning at the farm of origin, because low pH values lead to redder meat. Exploratory results comparing only meat from commercial slaughterhouses with meat from cattle slaughtered on farm using captive bolt stunning show clearer trends. Lower ultimate pH-values, as well as trends towards more tender and juicy meat could be found in cattle slaughtered on farm. To ensure these results and to evaluate meat quality according to different slaughter methods in upcoming research, either environmental effects should be reduced, or the dataset must be larger.